Columbia University is in line for an exit as cancer drug developer Vor files for its initial public offering.
Vor Biopharma, a US-based developer of treatments for haematological malignancies based on research at Columbia University, has filed for a $150m initial public offering.
Founded in 2015, Vor is working on drug treatments for haematological malignancies, a type of cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. Part of the IPO proceeds will fund the completion of a phase 1/2a clinical trial for its lead drug candidate, VOR33,
The company also plans to invest in the clinical development of a second candidate, VCAR33, which is in a phase 1/2 trial for adult acute myeloid leukaemia. The IPO will come after $152m in funding.
Investment manager RA Capital Management led a $110m series B round for Vor in July 2020 that included spinout-focused investment firm Osage University Partners (OUP).
Pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, pharmaceutical company PureTech Health and Alexandria Venture Investments, part of real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities, also took part in the series B, as did investment and financial services group Fidelity, Pagliuca Family Office and 5AM Ventures.
Vor had previously received $42m in an early 2019 series A round co-led by RA Capital and 5AM Ventures and backed by OUP, PureTech Health, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC and Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research.
The company’s largest investors are RA Capital (30.6%), 5AM Ventures (23.8%), PureTech (12.4%) and Fidelity (10.6%). The offering is set to take place on the Nasdaq Global Market and Goldman Sachs, Evercore Group, Barclays Capital and Stifel Nicolaus are the underwriters.
– A version of this article first appeared on our sister site, Global Corporate Venturing.