AuraSense Therapeutics Closes Tranche II of Series B Equity Investment

SKOKIE, Ill., July 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AuraSense Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company commercializing spherical nucleic acid (SNA™) constructs as gene regulation and modulation agents for a variety of diseases, including applications in oncology, dermatology, neurology, and for immune disorders, has closed the second tranche of its Series B financing.  The investment adds to the initial Series B round completed in December 2011.  Investors in the Series B round include AbbVie, Inc.  Other key individual investors in the round include Patrick Ryan, founder of Aon; David Walt, co-founder of Illumina; Boon Hwee Koh, Director of Agilent Technologies and former Chairman of Singapore Airlines, and Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer of Microsoft.  Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

"It's fantastic to have so many investors from the original consortium come back for this follow-on investment round," said Van Crocker, Vice President of Commercial Development for AuraSense Therapeutics.  "This financing shows the faith our investors have in the technology, the team and our progress to date.  We look forward to taking our first SNA constructs through the preclinical development phase."

Schiff Hardin LLP served as deal counsel to AuraSense Therapeutics for the investment transaction.

About AuraSense Therapeutics, LLC

AuraSense Therapeutics, LLC is a privately held biopharmaceutical company founded by Professors Chad A. Mirkin and C. Shad Thaxton of Northwestern University.  Headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, the Company is dedicated to developing and commercializing spherical nucleic acid (SNA™) conjugates.  Its proprietary SNA constructs possess unparalleled biocompatibility and versatility as therapeutics, and they hold great promise for combating the world's most threatening diseases.  The Company's SNA technology overcomes the most difficult obstacles to gene regulation:  genetic targeting with safe and effective in vivo performance.  For additional information about the company, please visit www.aurasensetherapeutics.com.

SOURCE AuraSense Therapeutics