Azalea Therapeutics Raises $82 Million to Advance In Vivo Gene and Cell Therapy Platform

Azalea Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup emerging from the labs of prominent genome engineering researchers, has completed a substantial $82 million seed and Series A financing round to fund the development of next-generation in vivo cell and gene therapies that aim to directly modify therapeutic cells inside the patient’s body. The financing marks the company’s public launch and reflects strong investor confidence in its proprietary delivery platform and clinical vision.

The combined $82 million funding includes a recently closed $65 million Series A financing that was led by Third Rock Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm focused on transformative biotechnology. Participation in the round came from established healthcare investors such as RA Capital Management, Sozo Ventures and Yosemite, along with select individual backers. This investor syndicate underscores robust support for Azalea’s strategy to redefine how genomic medicines are delivered and engineered in patients.

Azalea was co-founded by a team of renowned scientists and clinicians, including Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., a Nobel laureate and pioneer in CRISPR genome editing; Michael Fischbach, Ph.D.; Justin Eyquem, Ph.D.; and Jenny Hamilton, Ph.D., who serves as the company’s President and CEO. The company’s Enveloped Delivery Vehicle (EDV) platform is designed to precisely deliver genome-editing machinery to specific cells in vivo, enabling programmable, site-specific gene insertion without the need for traditional ex vivo manufacturing workflows.

Azalea’s approach aims to streamline and democratize the creation of engineered cell therapies — such as CAR-T therapies — by enabling precision editing directly inside the patient. Traditional CAR-T treatments require extracting a patient’s immune cells, genetically modifying them outside the body, and then reinfusing them, a process that is complex, costly, and time-intensive. By contrast, Azalea’s platform is designed to accomplish therapeutic genome engineering in situ, bypassing ex vivo steps and potentially reducing risks and logistical burdens associated with cell therapy.

The Series A funds will be deployed to advance a portfolio of in vivo CAR-T therapy programs through IND-enabling studies and into clinical trials. Lead programs include a CD19-based in vivo CAR-T therapy targeting B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases, a BCMA-targeted program for multiple myeloma, and exploratory work in solid tumor applications. The financing is expected to support preclinical optimization, regulatory preparation and initial human testing as the company moves toward first-in-patient studies.

Azalea’s launch capital also builds on earlier seed financing reported in 2023, when the company raised initial funds — including approximately $17 million — to support early technology development and de-risking of its delivery platform. The latest round brings total disclosed funding to approximately $82 million, giving Azalea significant runway to expand its research and development capabilities.

Investors backing Azalea have highlighted the potential of the company’s EDV platform to transform the cell therapy landscape by enabling off-the-shelf genomic medicines that are both safer and more accessible. With precision delivery and programmable gene insertion at its core, Azalea’s technology could reduce the need for complex manufacturing and patient conditioning, which has been a significant barrier to broader adoption of cell therapies.

Azalea is currently based at UC Berkeley’s Bakar BioLabs and grew out of collaborative research conducted within the Innovative Genomics Institute and other academic partners. The company also received early non-dilutive support through programs such as a $1 million award from the HS Chau Women in Enterprising Science initiative, which helps translate academic discoveries into commercial biotechnology ventures.

Under CEO Jenny Hamilton’s leadership, Azalea plans to scale its scientific and operational teams to match its clinical ambitions, with an emphasis on delivering transformative therapies that could address a range of cancer and autoimmune conditions. By leveraging its investor backing and scientific depth, the company has set a roadmap that includes clinical milestones over the next several years and exploration of additional therapeutic indications for its in vivo engineering platform.

As the field of genomic medicine evolves, Azalea’s successful $82 million fundraising positions the company as a notable contender in the emerging class of biotechnology firms working to simplify and expand access to powerful cell therapies by directly programming cells inside the body — a strategy that could fundamentally change how complex diseases are treated.