UCL Business and the UCL Technology Fund have both contributed to a series A round for biotech company Orchard Therapeutics.
Orchard Therapeutics, a UK-based clinical-stage biotechnology company researching stem cells as treatments with operations also in the US, has raised £21m ($30m) in a series A round led by mutual fund manager Fidelity’s investment arm F-Prime Capital.
Alongside F-Prime in the round were UCL Business, the tech transfer office of University College London, and the UCL Technology Fund, backed by Imperial Innovations, the investment firm of Imperial College London, and the European Investment Fund, operated by European Investment Bank.
Orchard was co-launched by UCL Business and F-Prime Capital in May 2016. The company is working on a treatment for a rare and fatal condition commonly referred to as bubble baby syndrome.
Patients who suffer from the disorder have a highly fragile immune system and need to be protected from any infections.
Orchard has also struck partnerships with a number of medical research centres. The partnerships are with University College London (UCL), Manchester University, University of California Los Angeles, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (Gosh) and Boston Children’s Hospital.
