- Marea Therapeutics launches with $190 Million in financing to advance the clinical development of a new generation of medicines for cardiometabolic diseases
- Co-Lead Forbion is joined by a broad investor syndicate, including lead investor Sofinnova Investments, Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund, venBio, Omega Funds, AlphaWave Global, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) and founding investor Third Rock Ventures.
- Lead program, MAR001, is a first-in-class ANGPTL4 inhibitor in Phase 2 clinical development aiming to address the untreated lipid and metabolic drivers of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients
- As part of the financing, Antoine Boulanger, PhD, will join the Board of Directors.
Naarden, The Netherlands – June 18, 2024 – Marea Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of medicines for cardiometabolic diseases, launched today with $190 million in combined Series A and B financing. This financing will fund the company’s MAR001 Phase 2 development plan and further progression of additional pipeline programs.
Marea’s lead program, MAR001, is a monoclonal antibody that targets ANGPTL4, a protein that is highly expressed in adipose tissue. By inhibiting ANGPTL4 and preferentially augmenting adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, MAR001 aims to lower remnant cholesterol, improve adipose tissue and metabolic function, and reduce cardiovascular events. Remnant cholesterol is carried by triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, is highly atherogenic, and drives cardiovascular events independent of classical risk factors like LDL cholesterol, diabetes or obesity.
There are currently no targeted therapies to lower remnant cholesterol and improve metabolic function. As an innovative first-in-class program aimed at solving this large unmet medical need, Marea represents our long-term commitment to the space and leverages our deep domain expertise. We are pleased to collaborate with such a dedicated group of leaders, investors and advisors in order to deliver on the emerging promise of ANGPTL4 to lower remnant cholesterol, improve metabolic health, and ultimately reduce cardiovascular events.
Antoine Boulanger, Ph.D.
Principal at Forbion and Marea board member
Marea aims to transform the way cardiometabolic diseases are treated by leveraging large-scale human genetics and expertise in adipose function and biology to pursue genetically validated targets focusing on central - but unaddressed - drivers of cardiometabolic disease risk. This approach could be the next frontier for patients with cardiometabolic disease who remain at very high risk, despite currently available therapies.
Josh Lehrer, M.D., M.Phil., FACC
Chief Executive Officer of Marea
Marea is also advancing a pipeline of additional candidates aimed to address additional untapped nodes driving cardiometabolic disease.
