On August 22, 2024, Borealis Biosciences (Borealis), a next-generation RNA medicines company, emerged from stealth with $150 million in combined Series A financing from founding investor Versant Ventures and Novartis AG, as well as committed strategic research collaboration funding from Novartis. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Borealis on the transaction.
Borealis was founded on the premise that the intersection of groundbreaking scientific and translational discoveries could leverage RNA therapeutics to tackle significant unmet patient needs in kidney diseases. Borealis builds on the success of Chinook Therapeutics (Chinook), a kidney disease company founded by Versant Ventures in 2019 and acquired by Novartis in 2023. Versant and Novartis collaborated to establish Borealis as a separate entity involving key members of Chinook's research team.
The Wilson Sonsini team that advised Borealis on the transaction includes:
Corporate
Karen Deschaine
Phil McGill
Cassie Wetzel
Technology Transactions
Miranda Biven
Norm Hovijitra
Sarah (Siedlak) Walker
Matthew Fleming
M&A
Jason Breen
Regulatory
Eva Yin
Employment
Matt Gorman
Quinn Christie
Delaware Law
Ryan Greecher
Antitrust
Michelle Yost Hale
Kimberley Biagioli
For more information, please see Borealis' news release. Additional coverage can be found on Fierce Biotech, BioSpace, and BioPharma Dive.
