Series A
2021
CEO
Chad Cowan
Founders
Chad Cowan
Jim Glasheen
Leandro Vetcher
Deepta Bhattacharya
Chris Sturgeon
Gustavo Mostoslavsky
% Shareholding
23%
Stage
Pre-clinical
Number of employees
20+
Raised in Series A
$87m

Unless stated all financials at 31 December 2022

Clade website

Clade has been established with the aim of discovering and delivering scalable next generation induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived medicines.

iPSCs are a type of pluripotent stem cell which can be generated directly from mature cells (such as those of the skin or blood). They hold great promise in the field of regenerative medicine, because they are able to multiply indefinitely, can be stored for long periods, and can produce tissue cells of any kind.

Clade’s work centres on its proprietary technology platform, which enables the immune “cloaking” of iPSCs. This means that when these cells are introduced to a patient, they are protected, or “cloaked”, from the individual’s own immune system. Potentially, this technology could allow for the creation of “off the shelf” treatments in donor derived cell therapies, which currently must engage with the challenge of introducing foreign cells to a patient without triggering a reaction from their own immune system. Clade is initially exploring the use of its iPSC technology in cancers, with a best-in-class approach to hypoimmunogenic engineering potentially allowing for a differentiated durability in response compared to other stem-cell based therapies.

The company is led by CEO Dr Chad Cowan, scientific co-founder of CRISPR Therapeutics and former Associate Professor at Harvard University in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Dr. Jim Glasheen, Chief Business Officer at Clade, co-founder of Atlanta Therapeutics and former general partner at Technology Partners Venture Capital. The company's leadership team have an unparalleled expertise in generating various different kinds of cells (including T, NK and B cells) from stem cells, helping to position Clade to be a leader in the iPSC space.

Investment thesis

  • Clade has been established with the aim of discovering and delivering scalable next generation induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived medicines

Unmet medical need

  • Syncona believes Clade’s technology has the potential to deliver greater efficacy than the first generation of allogeneic cell therapies
  • “Off the shelf” stem cell-based therapies have potential to deliver practical and commercial benefits in cell therapeutics

Key risks

  • Highly innovative concept in emerging space

 

Key risks are Syncona team view

The Clade pipeline

Research Pre-clinical Clinical
  • Undisclosed Programmes

Syncona team

Martin Murphy

Martin Murphy

Martin is Chair of Syncona Investment Management Ltd. He co-founded Syncona in 2012 alongside The Wellcome Trust. Since then, Martin has been closely involved in the foundation and development of multiple Syncona companies, including: Achilles Therapeutics, Autolus Therapeutics, OMass Therapeutics, Quell Therapeutics, Anaveon, Resolution Therapeutics, and Clade Therapeutics. He is Chairman of Quel…
View Martin's biography
Position
Board member
Qualification
PhD
Michael Kyriakides

Michael Kyriakides

Michael Kyriakides is an Investment Partner of Syncona Investment Management Ltd. He works closely with Syncona portfolio companies Freeline Therapeutics, Purespring Therapeutics and Clade Therapeutics.  Previously, Michael was a member of the Life Sciences team at L.E.K. Consulting, where he worked in projects for pharmaceutical, biotech and private equity clients. Prior to joining L.E.K. Consult…
View Michael's biography
Position
Board observer
Qualification
PhD

Clade Therapeutics leaders and founders

Chad Cowan

Chad Cowan

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Jim Glasheen

Jim Glasheen

President / Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder
Leandro Vetcher

Leandro Vetcher

Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder

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