Chroma, Nvelop startups merge to form nChroma Bio

Two Massachusetts-based biotechs, Chroma Medicine and Nvelop Therapeutics, have merged to form nChroma Bio.

nChroma brings together Chroma Medicine’s potent epigenetic editing with Nvelop’s non-viral, programmable delivery to address key limitations in the field and expand the scope of treatable diseases. The new company will take on Chroma Medicine’s lead program, CRMA-1001, a liver-targeted epigenetic editing therapy with potential for both best-in-class potency and ability to drive functional cures for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis D. In preclinical models, CRMA-1001 has demonstrated best-in-class, durable silencing of HBV biomarkers, which is expected to drive high functional cure rates in patients.

According to nChroma, unlike current editing approaches, its epigenetic editors have a fundamental mechanistic advantage by modulating gene expression without cutting or nicking the DNA, thereby eliminating the risk of activation of DNA repair pathways and the potential for genomic rearrangement.

Concurrent with the merger, nChroma completed an oversubscribed $75 million financing to provide the company with additional capital to drive its lead program into the clinic and build a pipeline of next-gen hepatic and extrahepatic targeted therapies. The financing round was led by Cormorant Asset Management, ARCH Venture Partners, Atlas Venture and Newpath Partners.

Jeff Walsh, Nvelop’s CEO and former chief financial/strategy officer for bluebird bio, will serve as nChroma’s CEO.