Cuatrecasas has advised Sanofi Ventures and EQT Life Sciences on the €119 million ($135 million) Series B funding round closed by SpliceBio, a pioneering biotech company developing gene therapies through its innovative Protein Splicing technology.
The round — which also included participation from Roche Venture Fund and returning investors such as New Enterprise Associates, UCB Ventures, Ysios Capital, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, and Asabys Partners — represents the largest investment round to date in a healthtech startup in Spain.
Gene therapy to treat Stargardt disease
With this funding, Sanofi Ventures and EQT Life Sciences are helping to advance SpliceBio’s gene therapy platform, particularly the clinical development of its lead program, SB-007. This program targets Stargardt disease, a hereditary retinal disorder caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene, which leads to progressive vision loss and blindness, and currently has no approved treatments. The investment brings patients suffering from this condition closer to a potential cure — a major breakthrough for those who previously had no therapeutic options.
SB-007 is the first gene therapy of its kind to receive regulatory clearance from both the U.S. FDA and the UK’s MHRA to initiate clinical trials. It has also been granted orphan drug designation in both the United States and the European Union.
"The closing of this deal marks a milestone for the Life Sciences ecosystem in Spain and, in particular, for the advancement of innovative gene therapies. We are incredibly proud to have supported Sanofi Ventures and EQT Life Sciences in an investment that not only drives innovation but also brings a potential therapeutic solution to patients who previously had none," said Elena Cuatrecasas, Corporate and M&A lawyer who led the transaction alongside Xavier Morera and Maria Colom.
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