LONDON, 16 May 2023: Arix Bioscience plc (“Arix” or the “Company”) (LSE: ARIX), a transatlantic venture capital company focused on investing in breakthrough biotechnology companies, notes that its portfolio company Ensoma has closed an extension of its Series B financing, raising a further $50 million to bring the total round to $135 million.

The $50 million extension round was raised by new investors Kite, a Gilead Company, Bioluminescence Ventures, Delos Capital, and by existing investor SymBiosis.

Arix co-led the initial Series B financing in January 2023, committing $9 million to the round alongside co-lead investor, 5AM Ventures, as well as Alexandria Venture Investments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Catalio Capital Management, Cormorant Asset Management, F-Prime Capital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Mirae Asset, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Solasta Ventures, Takeda Ventures Inc., and Viking Global Investors.

Following the Series B extension, Arix’s percentage holding has been diluted from 7.6% to 6.1%. The holding value remains unchanged.

“We are very pleased to see Ensoma being supported by a syndicate of top tier investors, including that of big pharma, which is a testament to the strength of the business. The funds raised will enable the company to advance the development of its in vivo engineered cell therapy platform and accelerate its pipeline of genomic medicines for immuno-oncology and other applications. We look forward to continuing our support to Ensoma as it seeks to bring a potentially breakthrough therapy to clinic.”

Robert Lyne, CEO of Arix Bioscience