Oct. 14 Quick Takes: Sofinnova Partners, Mérieux back French ADC company Mablink

Sofinnova Partners and Mérieux Equity Partner led a €31 million series A investment in Lyon-based Mablink Bioscience S.A.S., whose linker technology can improve the tolerability and pharmacokinetics of antibody-drug conjugates. Existing shareholders Elaia Partners, UI-Investissement / Pertinence Invest 2, Sham Innovation Santé, Fondation Fournier-Majoie, Simba Santé and Crédit Agricole Création participated in the financing. Mablink’s lead ADC is MBK-103, a preclinical therapy comprising the biotech’s linker and TOP1 inhibitor exatecan and targets FOLR1 (FRα).

Enliven Therapeutics Inc.’s reverse merger with Imara Inc. (NASDAQ:IMRA) and concurrent $165 million raise will leave the combined entity with $300 million for its small molecule precision oncology portfolio and Imara’s stockholders owning 16%. Enliven’s financing is co-led by new investors Fairmount and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, with participation from new investors Fidelity Management & Research Co., RA Capital Management, Frazier Life Sciences and Commodore Capital, plus all the company’s existing investors, including OrbiMed, 5AM Ventures, Citadel’s Surveyor Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, Roche Venture Fund, Sheatree Capital, Boxer Capital, Logos Capital and Janus Henderson Investors. Imara, which terminated its hemoglobinopathy program in April, rose $1.21 (47%) to $3.79 Friday. ...