Dyne Therapeutics Launches with $50 Million Series A to Develop Targeted Therapies for Muscle Diseases

Dyne Therapeutics, a new biotechnology company pioneering targeted therapies for patients with serious muscle diseases, launched with a $50 million Series A. Atlas Venture founded, seeded and incubated Dyne and was joined by Forbion and MPM Capital in the Series A.

Dyne is developing breakthrough medicines based on its proprietary product platform, which delivers nucleic acids and other molecules to skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle with unprecedented precision. The company’s lead programs are designed to knock down gene expression for the treatment of rare, monogenic neuromuscular diseases. Dyne is also developing therapeutics for patients with cardiac and smooth muscle diseases.

The company’s leadership team and scientific advisors bring unparalleled knowledge of muscle diseases and a proven track record of discovering and developing transformative therapies. Dyne will initially focus on myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a rare, inherited disorder that causes muscle weakness and other life-limiting complications. There are currently no disease-modifying treatments for DM1, which affects an estimated 40,000 people in the U.S.

“We are launching with a singular goal: to change the lives of patients with DM1 and other serious muscle diseases,” said Romesh Subramanian, Ph.D., president and CEO of Dyne. “Our innovative approach makes this possible, and our commitment to patients and their families makes it necessary. We appreciate the strong support of our investors who share this vision.”

Dyne’s FORCE™ platform specifically targets muscle, minimizing systemic exposure. The company has completed preclinical studies indicating that this approach can deliver oligonucleotides that degrade disease-causing RNA, potentially restoring muscle health.

“Dyne’s breakthrough approach brings the power of modern oligo therapeutics and other payloads to patients with serious muscle diseases,” said Jason Rhodes, a partner at Atlas Venture and executive chairman of Dyne’s board of directors. “The combination of tissue-specific delivery, high potency and tolerability enable a broad product pipeline. We are pleased to be working with Dyne’s exceptional team and scientific advisory board and to have Forbion and MPM Capital as partners as we build the company together.”

Dyne is led by a management team with extensive experience in the discovery and clinical development of treatments for rare genetic diseases and novel therapeutic modalities. CEO Romesh Subramanian previously co-founded RaNA Therapeutics (now Translate Bio) and led new modality discovery research at Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Catherine Stehman-Breen, M.D., Dyne’s chief medical officer, held senior leadership roles at Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and most recently served as chief medical officer of Sarepta Therapeutics. Dyne Senior Scientific Advisor Bruce Wentworth, Ph.D., previously served as vice president and head of research for Sarepta, leading a team whose work contributed to the FDA approval of Exondys 51, a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Mo Qatanani, Ph.D., Dyne’s vice president of discovery and translational research, previously led drug discovery research programs at Alexion and Merck. Jonathan McNeill, M.D., Dyne’s vice president of business development, previously supported business and corporate development at Editas Medicine.

Dyne’s scientific advisory board includes leading academics and researchers in the area of muscle diseases and oligo therapeutics:

• Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., former dean of the School of Medicine at Duke University and member of the board of directors of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Novartis AG
• Louis Kunkel, Ph.D., member of the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics and genetics at Harvard Medical School
• Charles Thornton, M.D., Saunders Distinguished Professor of Neuromuscular Research at the University of Rochester
• Sudhir Agrawal, D.Phil., visiting professor in the Department of Medicine at The University of Massachusetts Medical School and founder of Idera Pharmaceuticals

In addition to Jason Rhodes, Dyne’s board of directors includes Ed Hurwitz, managing director at MPM Capital, Dirk Kersten, general partner at Forbion, and Romesh Subramanian, president and CEO of Dyne.