Forbion leads $85M Series A Financing in Rampart Bioscience

Naarden, The Netherlands, October 24, 2023 – Forbion, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm, today announces that it has led an $85 million Series A financing in Rampart Bioscience, Inc., a biotechnology company developing next-generation biologics. Rampart Bioscience aim to create medicines that unburden patients from disease and their treatments. The new financing builds on an initial $40 million seed investment from OrbiMed. Rampart’s proprietary DNA-based medicines platform, called HALO, was inspired and developed using cues from nature to overcome the key limitations and safety concerns of viral and early non-viral gene approaches.

Rampart’s proprietary HALO platform is designed to produce highly potent, durable, and redosable therapies. The company’s lead program is for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP), a rare, often fatal genetic disease that prevents bone mineralization. Rampart has additional programs in development. 

“Rampart has assembled an impressive team with a shared patients-first mindset to embark on an ambitious mission that has the potential to transform the genetic medicine space,” said Dmitrij Hristodorov, Ph.D., Partner at Forbion. “We are excited to work with the company as it further develops its platform and advances innovative therapeutic candidates toward the clinic.”

Rampart’s executive management team collectively has over seven decades of biotechnology experience, including significant focus on the development of gene and cell-based therapies. Mr. Breton and Dr. Bartlett previously worked together at gene and cell therapy company Calimmune, which Mr. Breton co-founded and which was acquired by CSL Behring in 2017. Rampart’s team of founders also includes Robert Heft, Ph.D., who led the development of the only approved therapy for HPP as CEO of Enobia, which was also backed by OrbiMed and which was acquired by Alexion in 2012. Dr. Bonita previously served on the board of Enobia.

In addition to Mr. Breton, Dr. Bonita, and Dr. Heft, Rampart’s Board of Directors also includes Evan Caplan, M.D., Principal at original investor OrbiMed. In conjunction with the Series A financing, Dmitrij Hristodorov, Ph.D., Partner at Forbion; Matthew Hammond, Ph.D., MBA, Principal at RA Capital; and Carl Kilander, M.D., Ph.D., Partner at HealthCap have joined the Board.