Catamaran Bio, Based in Part on U of M Research, Soars with Early Funding

Catamaran Bio is a Boston-based University of Minnesota startup designed to bring new advances in biotechnology and cancer therapies. SV Health Investors, a top-tier venture capital firm and one of the longest-tenured healthcare investment managers in the world supports Catamaran Bio, showing the Twin Cities’ potential for its contribution to biotechnology advancements. Recently, Catamaran Bio has raised $42 million through its seed and Series A funding rounds, making this the largest funding rounds yet for a University of Minnesota startup. This money could be applied to retain top talent and push for the development of new cancer therapies. 

Catamaran Bio’s contributions have been supplied by research from one of its co-founders, Branden Moriarity, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of  Pediatrics Division of Hematology and Oncology. His recent technological development includes a customizable cell therapy for the treatment of cancer that uses natural killer cells that reduces the negative implications of some currently available cancer treatments. Before this project and his work with Catamaran Bio, Dr. Moriarity worked with David Largaespada, PhD, Professor with the University’s Department of Pediatrics, to launch the startup B-MoGen Biotechnologies, which focuses on developing and marketing gene editing products and services. 

To read more about Catamaran Bio, Dr. Moriarity, and their collaborations with other scientists to develop new and innovative biotechnologies, please follow this link.

For a recent update on Dr. Moriarity's work with Catamaran Bio, follow this link.