Oncology startup Tavros Therapeutics closes $7.5M second seed round

DURHAM – The precision oncology startup Tavros Therapeutics has closed $7.5 million in a second seed funding round, the company announced today.

Existing investor Piedmont Capital Investments co-led the round alongside KdT Ventures, a new investor in the company, according to a statement from Tavros.  Alexandria Venture Investments also participated as an investor in the round, which built on the $3 million previously raised by the company upon its launch in 2020.

“This financing strengthens Tavros’ financial foundation as we continue expanding the utility of our platform and grow our team,” said Tavros CEO and co-founder Eoin McDonnell, Ph.D., in a statement.  “Leaps have been made in understanding the genomic architecture of cancer; however more work remains to precisely and rapidly identify which next-generation drug targets will work best in which clinical settings.”

Durham startup Tavros teams up with oncology-focused firm in search for cancer therapies

Right drugs for the right patients

Tavros Therapeutics uses functional and computational genomics technologies “to uncover unique vulnerabilities within tumors to discover novel targets and help clinically position existing and new molecules with biomarker-driven strategies in areas of high unmet clinical need,” according to the company.

And the company is working to identify, then develop “the right new drugs to the right patients,” according to McDonnell.

The company also operates with a strategic collaboration with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., it noted in its statement.

Robert Long, a partner of Piedmont Capital Investments, is a member of the company’s board of directors.

“Tavros’ promising first-of-its-kind genomics platform represents the next generation in precision medicine with the potential speed and scalability to address critical unmet needs in cancer care,” said Long, in the statement.  “We are pleased to continue to support Tavros as the company evolves its differentiated capabilities to identify vulnerabilities for synthetic lethal targeting.”

The company participated in a Venture Day focused on Triangle early-stage life science companies earlier this spring, which was covered by Innovate Carolina and published by WRAL TechWire.

Life science ‘Venture Day’ shines spotlight on 15 Triangle startups

The post Oncology startup Tavros Therapeutics closes $7.5M second seed round first appeared on WRAL TechWire.

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