Venture capitalists have been scouring the globe in search of better immunology drugs. Biotech startup creator Versant Ventures is among them, having formed and funded several companies in recent years looking to change the way certain inflammatory diseases are treated.

风险投资家一直在全球范围内寻找更好的免疫药物。生物技术初创公司创建者 Versant Ventures 就是其中之一，近年来成立了几家致力于改变某些炎症性疾病治疗方法的公司并为其提供了资金支持。

Versant isn’t done with that effort. On Thursday, the firm revealed its latest foray into immunology research — a startup called Granite Bio that’s already secured $100 million in funding and has two drugs either in, or nearing, clinical testing.

Versant并未停止这方面的努力。周四，该公司公布了其在免疫学研究领域的最新尝试——一家名为Granite Bio的初创公司，该公司已经获得了1亿美元的融资，并有两种药物正在进行或即将进入临床试验。

Granite is a product of

花岗岩是以下的产物

Ridgeline Therapeutics

山脊线治疗公司

, part of an initiative Versant hatched more than a decade ago to help turn scientific discoveries into new companies. Operating in stealth mode, the company raised a $30 million Series A led by Versant and Novartis’ venture arm in 2021 and a $70 million Series B from Forbion and Sanofi’s venture fund two years later. .

，这是Versant十多年来推动的一项计划的一部分，旨在帮助将科学发现转化为新公司。该公司在2021年以隐秘模式运营时，由Versant和诺华的风险投资部门领投了3000万美元的A轮融资，并在两年后由Forbion和赛诺菲的风险基金完成了7000万美元的B轮融资。

The startup is working on two antibody drugs for inflammatory conditions. One, dubbed GRT-001, is being developed for inflammatory bowel disease and is currently in Phase 1 testing in healthy volunteers, with a trial in ulcerative colitis patients expected later this year. Another, GRT-002, is seen as a new way to potentially treat itch and allergies and should start its first trial in 2026. .

这家初创公司正在研发两种用于治疗炎症性疾病的抗体药物。一种名为GRT-001，正在开发用于治疗炎症性肠病，目前正在进行健康志愿者的I期试验，预计今年晚些时候将开展针对溃疡性结肠炎患者的试验。另一种名为GRT-002，被视为潜在治疗瘙痒和过敏的新方法，预计将于2026年开始首次试验。

GRT-001 homes in on white blood cells called pro-inflammatory monocytes, which are part of the immune system’s response to infections and inflammation. According to Granite CEO Patrick Loustau, this approach targets the 'cellular source' of IBD and has the potential to 'reset' patients' immune systems, which could lead to better and longer-lasting results than existing therapies..

GRT-001专注于一种称为促炎性单核细胞的白细胞，这些细胞是免疫系统对感染和炎症反应的一部分。据格兰尼特公司首席执行官帕特里克·卢斯托介绍，这种方法针对IBD的“细胞来源”，并有可能“重置”患者的免疫系统，从而可能比现有疗法取得更好且更持久的效果。

Monocyte depleters could have a similar impact on the “innate” immune system as

单核细胞清除剂可能对“先天性”免疫系统产生类似的影响，如

B-cell targeting drugs appear to have on the “adaptive” part of the body’s defenses

B细胞靶向药物似乎作用于人体防御的“适应性”部分。

, giving them the potential to treat a range of inflammatory conditions, Loustau wrote in an email to BioPharma Dive.

，使它们有潜力治疗一系列炎症性疾病，Loustau在给BioPharma Dive的电子邮件中写道。

Granite’s other drug, GRT-002, homes on IL-3, a different inflammatory cytokine than the ones targeted by drugs like Dupixent and Cosentyx. Granite, in a statement announcing its launch, noted how IL-3 is a

Granite的另一款药物GRT-002针对IL-3，这是一种不同于Dupixent和Cosentyx等药物靶向的炎症细胞因子。Granite在宣布其成立的声明中指出，IL-3是一种

key player in autoimmunity

自身免疫的关键参与者

as well as a kind of immune response called type 2 inflammation.

以及一种称为2型炎症的免疫反应。

Versant has started up several immune disease-focused biotechs of late. In 2024 alone, the firm formed

Versant近期启动了数家专注于免疫疾病的生物技术公司。仅在2024年，该公司就成立了

Santa Ana Therapeutics

圣安娜治疗学

, a developer of targeted immune therapies, as well as

，一家开发靶向免疫疗法的公司，以及

Borealis Biosciences

博瑞利斯生物科学

, which is focused on medicines for inflammatory kidney diseases.

，专注于炎症性肾病药物。

Immunology investments more than doubled last year, surging to about $3.1 billion among the private rounds involving the prominent venture firms

去年，免疫学领域的投资增长了一倍多，在涉及知名风险投资公司的私人融资中，投资额激增至约 31 亿美元。

tracked by BioPharma Dive

由 BioPharma Dive 跟踪

. They’re on a similar trajectory in 2025, with about $1 billion raised so far.

他们在2025年的发展轨迹相似，目前已筹集了约10亿美元。