Santa Ana Bio, a precision immunology company, has raised $168 million through Series A and B financing rounds to advance the development of targeted therapies for inflammatory diseases. The funding will support the company's efforts in identifying disease-specific subpopulations and targets, aiming to overcome limitations of current biological treatments.

William Hait, M.D., Ph.D., a longtime Johnson & Johnson executive, is set to retire this fall after a 17-year career with the company. Hait, who currently serves as executive vice president and chief external innovation and medical officer, joined J&J in 2007 as senior vice president and therapeutic area head of hematology and oncology for J&J’s Janssen arm. During his tenure, Hait led the pharma’s innovative medicine unit to launch more than 20 new products, including Imbruvica, Tremfya, and Zytiga. Bayer’s SVP and Global Head of Biotech, Jens Vogel, Ph.D., has also departed, and a new biotech company, Santa Ana, has emerged with $168 million and Peter Emtage, Ph.D., as CEO.

Santa Ana Bio, a precision immunology company, has secured $168m through Series A and B financing rounds to develop targeted therapies for inflammatory diseases.

Santa Ana Bio, a California-based company, has raised $168 million in funding and is developing three precision medicine antibodies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company is led by Peter Emtage, Ph.D., who previously served as the global head of cell therapy research at Kite Pharma. Santa Ana's three programs are expected to enter clinical trials in 2025.

Santa Ana Therapeutics, a precision immunology startup, has raised $168 million to develop new autoimmune medicines. The company's lead drug, SAB01, is a bispecific antibody designed to mute mast cells that drive allergic disease. Santa Ana plans to enter the clinic with SAB01 in 2025 for chronic inducible urticaria. The company also has a PD-1 agonist, SAB03, in development for inflammatory conditions. Versant Ventures led Santa Ana’s $43 million Series A round, with GV as the major backer of its $125 Series B round.