Venture Report: Syncona’s backs a pair of biotechs; Marea makes debut with $190M

Syncona made a pair of new investments in oncology this week, backing Oxford spinout Yellowstone and leading a series B round for iOnctura, while Marea emerged from stealth with $190 million across two rounds, including a series A led by Third Rock.

U.K.-based Syncona Ltd. (LSE:SYNC) took a 60.9% stake in TCR-based therapeutics developer Yellowstone Biosciences Ltd. by providing £16.5 million ($21 million) in series A funding to the Oxford, U.K.-based start-up. The firm’s Chris Hollowood and Gonzalo Garcia will hold board seats...