Lead program in Type 1 diabetes is advancing toward the clinic, with pipeline opportunities in a broad range of autoimmune diseases
Company appoints Jason F. Cole, experienced biotech leader and company builder, as Chief Executive Officer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zag Bio™, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering thymus-targeted medicines, today announced the company's launch with $80 million in financing, including a recently closed Series A financing. Polaris Partners founded and incubated Zag Bio and co-led the Series A financing with the T1D Fund, with participation from Mission BioCapital, AbbVie Ventures, Lightspeed Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, KdT Ventures, Regeneron Ventures, Boxer Capital and Pear VC. Zag Bio also announced the appointment of biotech industry veteran Jason F. Cole, J.D., as the company's Chief Executive Officer and Board member.
Zag Bio has discovered a novel approach to deliver tolerizing antigens to the thymus to achieve durable antigen-specific central tolerance to treat autoimmune disease. Zag Bio designs thymus-targeting bifunctional antibodies to deliver antigens to the thymus, where it engages the body's natural mechanism for T cell tolerance, expanding antigen-specific thymic regulatory cells (Tregs) while depleting antigen-specific T effector cells (Teff). The thymic Tregs then migrate to diseased tissues to exert a broad range of protective effects. Thymic Tregs are epigenetically hardwired to be stable and durable, and are expected to enable an immune reset with long-lasting impact.
The proceeds from the financing will be used to advance Zag Bio's lead program into the clinic as a tolerogenic therapy to prevent or delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes. In addition, the financing will enable the company to further advance its discovery programs for a range of other autoimmune diseases. Zag Bio's proprietary technology facilitates modular design of thymus-targeted self-antigens, enabling streamlined development of additional pipeline programs.
"The significant progress by the Zag Bio team coupled ...
