Bright Peak synthesizing proteins like they’re small molecules with $35M from Versant

Bright Peak thinks its medicinal chemistry approach to protein design will make its synthetic cytokines stand out from the pack.

Built by Versant Ventures’ Basel-based Ridgeline outpost with technology licensed from ETH Zurich, Bright Peak Therapeutics Inc. emerged from two years of stealth Tuesday with a $35 million series A round and a pipeline of synthetic cytokine therapies for cancer. The company’s lead candidate, a modified version of IL-2, is in IND-enabling studies and is slated to enter the clinic in 2H21...