SAN FRANCISCO – Expedition Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel oral small molecule therapies for inflammatory and respiratory diseases, has closed an oversubscribed $115 million Series B financing led by General Atlantic, with participation from RA Capital and Vivo Capital and existing investors Sofinnova Investments, Novo Holdings, Forbion, Dawn Biopharma (a platform controlled by KKR), Adage Capital Management, Balyasny Asset Management, Logos Capital, Sanofi Ventures, BVF Partners, and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners.
Expedition also announced that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating EXPD-101, a next-generation DPP1 inhibitor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With first-and-best-in-class potential, EXPD-101 is designed to target neutrophilic inflammation, a key underlying driver of COPD across the disease spectrum. In Phase 1 studies, EXPD-101 was well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities, and demonstrated dose-proportional pharmacokinetics supporting once-daily oral dosing. Expedition is the first company to conduct a global, randomized Phase 2 trial of a DPP1 inhibitor in COPD, advancing a differentiated mechanism of action for patients.
The financing will support advancement of the company’s lead DPP1 inhibitor EXPD-101 through Phase 2 clinical development, expand its pipeline of next-generation therapies for inflammatory diseases, and further enhance its research discovery.
“Today marks a defining milestone for Expedition as we complete an oversubscribed Series B financing and dose the first patient in our global Phase 2 COPD clinical trial,” said Yi Larson, Founder and CEO, Expedition Therapeutics. “This financing brings together a top-tier investor syndicate who share our conviction in the potential of our science and our mission to develop differentiated therapies for patients living with serious chronic diseases.”
“COPD remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, yet current therapies primarily manage symptoms and do not adequately address the chronic neutrophilic inflammation that drives disease progression and exacerbations,” said James Chalmers, M.D., Ph.D., Rhodes Chair of Experimental Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Oxford. “By selectively targeting DPP1, this investigational therapy has the potential to interrupt a key upstream inflammatory pathway, offering a novel approach that could improve outcomes for patients. We are excited to begin evaluating its safety and clinical potential in this global Phase 2 study in patients with COPD.”
