Feb. 18 Quick Takes: $200M to ease Synthego into gene, cell therapy

Perceptive Advisors led a $200 million series E round for Synthego Corp. that the Bay Area genome engineering company will use to build a cell and gene therapy discovery and development “ecosystem” to aid researchers as they seek to translate discoveries into therapies. Also participating were SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Declaration Partners, Laurion Capital Management, Logos Capital, GigaFund and Chimera Abu Dhabi and existing investors Wellington Management, RA Capital Management and Moore Strategic Ventures. Synthego said it also has recently hired Avi Raval as CFO.

Shares of Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) fell $0.56 to $13.12 on Friday after the company said there was a fatal adverse event in a Phase I trial of autologous CAR T therapy ATA2271 conducted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which has paused enrollment while more information emerges. The mesothelin-targeting therapy is part of a partnership with Bayer AG (Xetra:BAYN), although the pharma’s Marianne De Backer told BioCentury last year that the company is more interested in allogeneic therapy ATA3271, which is covered by the same deal...