top of page

SQZ Biotech Shot for $70M-plus IPO on the NYSE to Fund Cell Therapy R&D

SQZ.PNG

The Wa­ter­town, MA-based biotech ,SQZ Biotechnologies has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange on October 30, 2020 under the ticker symbol “SQZ”. The Pricing of Initial Public Offering is $16.00 per share of 4,411,765 shares. The company has raised $70M to develop its cell therapies.

SQZ (pro­nounced “squeeze”) was formed from the lab of MIT’s Bob Langer in 2013. The founder and CEO, Dr. Armon Sharei, invented the Cell Squeeze® technology during his PhD at MIT. It physically squeezes cells at high speeds through a microfluidic chip, temporarily opening the cell membrane and enabling biologic material of interest, or cargo, to diffuse into the cell before the membrane reseals. This technology allows SQZ to create a broad pipeline of product candidates for different diseases.

 

SQZ1.jpg

From SQZ Company Website

The company has developed three platforms, including that for targeting antigen-presenting cells (APCs), for activating antigen carriers (AACs), and for tolerating antigen carriers (TACs). SQZ’s initial focus areas are oncology, infectious disease, and immune disorders. Pipelines with top pri­or­i­ties include its Roche-part­nered anti­gen pre­sent­ing cell (APC) tech, which is cur­rent­ly in Phase I for HPV and sol­id tu­mors.

Roche began its partnership with SQZ in 2015, That alliance aimed to use the SQZ technology to develop cancer cell therapies based on B cells, a type of immune cell. In 2018, Roche en­tered a $1.37 bil­lion-plus deal to fo­cus the tech­nol­o­gy on im­muno-on­col­o­gy. The biotechs are us­ing the plat­form to de­liv­er anti­gens in­tend­ed to in­duce a storm of CD8 killer cells to fight can­cer. SQZ says it’s been able to process the cells in 24 hours and re­turn them to pa­tients for in­fu­sion in a week.

Viva Ventures Biotech Fund participated in the Series C fundraising of SQZ Biotech in 2018.

Company Website: https://sqzbiotech.com/

This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation for any security; nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory or other services by Viva Ventures Biotech Fund or any of our affiliates. Nothing contained on the website constitutes investment advice or offers any opinion with respect to the suitability of any security, and the views expressed on this website should not be taken as advice to buy, sell, or hold any security or as an endorsement of any security or company. In preparing the information contained in this website, Viva Ventures Biotech has not taken into account the investment needs, objectives, and financial circumstances of any particular investor, and investments and companies referenced may not be suitable for all investors. Any views expressed on this website by Viva Ventures biotech were prepared based upon information, believed to be reliable, available to it at the time such views were written. Viva Ventures Biotech makes no guarantees as to their accuracy or completeness. All information is subject to change and may quickly become unreliable for various reasons, including changes in market conditions or economic circumstances. By accessing this website, the reader agrees that he/she not copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, alter, or distribute in any way material from this website in any manner inconsistent with the purposes for which it is offered without the prior written consent of Viva Ventures Biotech.

bottom of page