Granite Bio Emerges from Stealth to Advance Immunology Pipeline
Significant funds, in series A & B funding rounds, have been raised from leading investors to advance the company’s two first-in-class monoclonal antibodies targeting inflammation, autoimmunity, and fibrosis.
Granite Bio AG, a clinical-stage biotech company, has launched from stealth mode with USD 100 million in funding to develop novel antibody therapies targeting inflammation, autoimmunity, and fibrosis (1). The funding round includes USD 30 million in Series A financing, led by founding investors Versant Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund, and USD 70 million in Series B financing, led by Forbion and Sanofi Ventures.
The company’s pipeline features two first-in-class monoclonal antibodies that were developed via Versant’s Ridgeline Discovery Engine and stem from research by Professor Matthias Mack at the University of Regensburg, Germany. GRT-001, currently in Phase Ia, targets pro-inflammatory monocytes implicated in autoimmunity and inflammation; and GRT-002, which is in preclinical development, inhibits interleukin-3, a cytokine linked to allergic and autoimmune responses.
Granite Bio is led by an experienced team with expertise in immunology and biotech development. President and CEO Patrick Loustau previously served as Chief Business Officer at Amolyt Pharma and held senior roles at major biopharma firms including Bristol Myers-Squibb and Novo Nordisk.
"Granite is pioneering a new approach to tackling inflammation, autoimmunity, and fibrosis by addressing fundamental disease drivers at their source,” said Loustau in the company’s press release announcing its launch (1). With the support of an exceptional investor syndicate and a world-class team, we are advancing a pipeline of first-in-class therapies with the potential to transform patient outcomes .”
Loustau is supported by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dominik Hartl, who brings extensive clinical leadership from Quell Therapeutics, Novartis, and Roche, alongside an academic role in pediatric immunology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Gijs van den Brink, formerly a global head at Roche, and also Operating Partner at Forbion and a specialist in immunology and inflammatory bowel disease.
Granite Bio’s launch comes at a time of heightened investor interest in immunology and inflammation (2). Over the past five years, venture and corporate investment in inflammation and autoimmune disease pipelines has grown substantially, due to the broad applicability and strong commercial potential of these pipelines. Estimates suggest that 4.6% pf the U.S. population (3) and 10% of the UK population (4) areaffected by at least one autoimmune disorder, and despite advances in biologics and targeted therapies, large segments of patients remain either refractory to existing treatments or experience significant side effects. Promising demand for new mechanisms of action, Granite Bio’s strategy of targeting myeloid cell populations and key upstream cytokines reflects a shift away from broad immunosuppression towards more precise, disease-modifying interventions.
At the time of writing, immunology is one of the fastest-growing areas in drug development, with investors and pharmaceutical companies collectively spending billions within the sector to capture its expanding market potential (5). Big Pharma is aggressively pursuing partnerships and acquisitions to strengthen their positions in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune markets, reflected by Sanofi Ventures’ investment in Granite Bio’s Series B round.
Emerging biotech companies such as Granite Bio could transform the treatment landscape by pioneering novel mechanisms of action that provide a powerful alternative to traditional immunosuppressive therapies. With continued investment and growing strategic interest in the sector, the next wave of immunology treatments promises to address longstanding unmet needs and significantly improve patient outcomes.
References
Granite Bio. Granite Bio Debuts With $100 Million of Capital. Press Release, April 24, 2025.
Sciety. Immunology and Cancer Dominate Pharmaceutical Industry Acquisitions in 2024. Insight, March 5, 2025.
Abend, A.H.; He, I.; Bahroos, N.; et al. Estimation of Prevalence of Autoimmune Diseases in the United States Using Electronic Health Record Data. J. Clin. Invest. 2025, 135(4), e178722.
University of Oxford. Autoimmune Disorders Found to Affect around One in Ten People. News, May 6, 2023.
Anderson, M. Why Drugmakers and Investors are Pouring Money into Immunology. Healthcare Brew, June 6, 2024.