NC-XILIS-INC
Xilis, Inc., a pioneering biotechnology company developing its MicroOrganoSphere™ (MOS™) technology to guide precision therapy for cancer patients and accelerate drug discovery and development, has closed an extension of over US$19 million to its Series A financing round, bringing the total amount raised to over US$89 million. New investor FPV Ventures led the extension, with participation from fellow new investor Alexandria Venture Investments and existing investors EQT Life Sciences, Mubadala Capital Management, Pear Ventures, GV (formerly Google Ventures), the Duke Angel Network, Catalio Capital Management, Two Sigma Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Alix Ventures and other strategic partners.
“Despite unprecedented market conditions in the biotech sector, we raised this extension at a step-up valuation and from several of the most reputable global investors. Our investors are strongly encouraged by the progress we have made in building diagnostic programs that predict patient response and achieving significant traction in partnered drug discovery and development,” said Xiling Shen, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Xilis. “Our MOS technology is the first end-to-end, high-throughput patient-derived model drug discovery platform to identify drug candidates with a high probability of clinical success.”
The company will use the Series A funding to advance its proprietary MOS platform. This innovative MOS technology is the first truly scalable patient-derived model that recapitulates the tumor microenvironment and immune interactions necessary for next-generation immuno-oncology and cell therapy drug discovery. In addition, the MOS platform can be applied in a clinical setting to aid clinicians to make precision oncology treatment decisions, identifying treatments that lead to the best response for each patient.
“Xilis has pushed forward and achieved meaningful scientific breakthroughs that will change the way cancer drugs are being discovered and how patients are being selected to achieve the most optimal response – realizing the goal of personalized precision oncology,” said Wesley Chan, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of FPV Ventures. “With support from a world-class investor consortium, Xilis is set to continue its efforts in clinical diagnostics and accelerate the company’s growth by expanding its MOS technology into biopharma R&D and drug development.”
Recently, the company announced its participation in the Netherlands-based Oncode-PACT Consortium to accelerate the development of cancer drugs and was selected as the cover article/story in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell highlighting its MOS technology and application in precision oncology.
"Xilis' innovative MOS technology can enable unlocking the full potential of patient-derived microtumors by accelerating their use both in the clinic and for drug discovery and development," said John de Koning, Partner at EQT Life Sciences. "Patients will benefit greatly from Xilis’ precision oncology treatment decisions by avoiding time spent on treatment cycles that are ineffective, and instead, receive therapies with the greatest potential of success quickly and efficiently."
About Xilis
Based in Durham, North Carolina, Xilis, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing a precision oncology platform that guides treatment decisions for oncologists to improve cancer care outcomes for patients and enables drug discovery and development with pharmaceutical companies. Xilis’ proprietary MicroOrganoSphere™ (MOS) technology consists of miniature patient tumors that capture the full microenvironment and heterogeneity and provides an automated and scalable solution. Using MOS and AI-driven algorithms, Xilis is developing a Xilis Response Score™ for the clinic, enabling oncologists to make informed and timely treatment decisions. Additionally, the MOS technology is speeding up the discovery and clinical development of new drug candidates.
To learn more about Xilis, visit our website at Xilis.com or follow us on LinkedIn .
About FPV
FPV is a new $450m fund focused on backing and serving mission-driven founders throughout their entire journey. Founded by Wesley Chan (Founder of Google Analytics and Google Voice) and Pegah Ebrahimi (former COO of Morgan Stanley Tech Banking and COO of Cisco Collaboration), the firm has backed well-known, high-impact startups including Canva, Flexport, Guild Education, Xilis, and Manifold Bio.
About EQT Life Sciences
EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for patients.
The team combines deep sector knowledge, analytical skills, and investment experience to provide the added value that inventors seek. EQT Life Sciences’ broad life sciences and healthcare network is highly complementary to EQT’s global healthcare sector franchise and makes EQT an even better and more innovative healthcare investor. More info: www.eqtgroup.com/lifesciences
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220713005121/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
ElevenLabs-Powered Chroma Awards Opens Call For Submissions, With November 3 Deadline15.9.2025 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Creator-Led Global AI Film, Music Video, and Games CompetitionUniting the Global AI Creative Community Chroma Awards, a groundbreaking AI Film, Music Video, and Games competition organized by ElevenLabs, the leading AI audio research and product company, announced today that submissions are open for its inaugural competition, with a November 3 deadline. Competition participants can access free trials of AI tools provided by sponsors starting today at https://pack.chromaawards.com/. The Chroma Awards was established with the mission to educate, empower, and spotlight the next generation of artists and showcase how AI can empower human creativity. The competition is organized by ElevenLabs and presented by Google Cloud, Freepik, fal, Dreamina AI, and CapCut. “Through this initiative we hope to unite creators, communities, and companies across the world to bring emerging technology and creative talent together in dialogue,” said Matty Shimura, Chroma Awards. “We’re incredibly grateful to
33 Innovators Join Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Cohort15.9.2025 14:08:00 CEST | Press release
Accelerator’s expanded focus includes sustainable solutions and support for nonprofits 2025 cohort comprised of 33 early-stage innovators from the Americas and EMEA Five-month program to provide founders with $250,000 (£250,000), as well as mentorship and growth resources Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced the global cohort of its Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV). With founders from the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the 2025 MSISV cohort will support 29 startups in its Lab and four emerging nonprofits in its Collaborative, two in-house accelerators that will run over the next five months. Selected from thousands of applications, the 33 organizations will engage in a tailored entrepreneurship curriculum and receive mentorship and business-growth resources from Morgan Stanley’s ecosystem of internal and external partners. The firm will invest $250,000 (£250,000 in EMEA) in each startup and provide each nonprofit with a $250,000 grant. “Morgan Stan
Helmholtz Munich and Parse Biosciences GigaLab Generate World’s Largest Human Lung Tissue Perturbation Atlas15.9.2025 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Researchers aim to identify cellular circuit mechanisms and generate a dataset to fuel AI-driven foundational research of lung biology Helmholtz Munich and Parse Biosciences today announced a strategic partnership to generate the world’s broadest lung disease perturbation atlas, powered by Parse Biosciences’ GigaLab platform. Using a human lung ex-vivo tissue slice culture model from normal control donor lungs as well as explant lung tissues from patients with chronic lung disease, the study aims to identify novel targets and cell circuits in lung health and disease by characterizing disease-specific responses of cells to 900 pharmacological interventions. Prof Herbert Schiller, Director of Helmholtz Munich’s Precision Regenerative Medicine Research Unit, and a leading researcher on lung biology and disease, will head this ambitious initiative. “Measuring the effects of drug treatments at single cell level directly in human lung tissue at scale, will help us to find strategies that imp
AmTrust Financial Services and Blackstone Credit & Insurance Enter Into Strategic Transaction for AmTrust’s Global MGA and Fee Businesses15.9.2025 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Strategic Transaction Unlocks Value for AmTrust and Positions Global MGA and Fee Businesses for Accelerated GrowthAmTrust President Adam Karkowsky to Leave to Become Chairman and CEO of New Multinational MGA Platform AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. (“AmTrust” or the “Company”), a global specialty property casualty insurer, and Blackstone Credit & Insurance (“BXCI”), today announced a definitive agreement under which AmTrust and funds managed by BXCI will partner in the spin-off of certain of AmTrust’s Managing General Agencies (“MGAs”) and fee businesses in the U.S., United Kingdom, and Continental Europe into a new, independent company. AmTrust and the newly formed company will enter into a ten-year capacity agreement through which AmTrust will remain underwriter of the existing books of business offered through the MGAs. The agreement includes seven AmTrust subsidiaries: ANV, Risico, Collegiate, AmTrust Nordic, Arc Legal, Qualis, and Abacus. These businesses provide diverse risk and
Red Sea Global Unveils Shura Island: A New Era of Luxury Tourism Begins This September15.9.2025 13:30:00 CEST | Press release
- Iconic brands SLS, EDITION, and InterContinental prepare to welcome first guests to the heart of The Red Sea - Shura Links, the championship 18-hole golf course, is also set to welcome players, offering a world-class golfing experience - Shura Island is also host to a collection of exclusive homes, offering a rare opportunity to own part of the luxury destination Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, has announced that the first resorts and attractions on Shura Island will begin opening to guests in the coming weeks. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250915221123/en/ The EDITION Red Sea, opening soon on Shura Island features 240 elegantly designed rooms and suites. Phase one of the launch includes the debut of SLS, EDITION, and InterContinental hotels, along with Shura Links, Saudi Arabia’s first island golf course. This moment marks a major milest
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom