What is Metacrine?
Metacrine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical enterprise dedicated to the development of differentiated therapies for liver and gastrointestinal conditions. At the core of its market position is a proprietary FXR platform, which utilizes a unique chemical scaffold designed to improve therapeutic profiles compared to existing standards of care. The company is currently focused on the clinical validation of its primary assets, MET409 and MET642, which are being rigorously tested for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). By leveraging deep molecular insights, Metacrine aims to establish a leadership position in the therapeutic landscape for metabolic and digestive disorders.
How much funding has Metacrine raised?
Metacrine has raised a total of $245.8M across 5 funding rounds:
Private Equity
$37.8M
Series A
$36M
Series B
$22M
Series C
$65M
Stock Offering
$85M
Private Equity (2015): $37.8M, investors not publicly disclosed
Series A (2015): $36M led by VenBio, Polaris Partners, Arch Venture Partners, and EcoR1 Capital
Series B (2017): $22M supported by Polaris Partners, New Enterprise Associates, venBio, and Arch Venture Partners
Series C (2018): $65M featuring ARCH Ventures, Deerfield Capital Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Polaris Partners, Vivo Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, Invus, Venrock Healthcare Partners, and ArrowMark Partners
Stock Issuance/Offering (2020): $85M, investors not publicly disclosed
Key Investors in Metacrine
Polaris Partners
Polaris Partners is a venture capital firm that specializes in backing transformational companies in the biotech and healthcare sectors, providing coaching and resources for growth.
Arch Venture Partners
ARCH Venture Partners is a leading early-stage venture capital firm that creates and invests in life sciences and advanced technology companies, often co-founding startups with scientists.
EcoR1 Capital
EcoR1 Capital is a San Francisco-based investment fund focused on the biotech sector, dedicated to advancing therapeutic innovation and developing new medicines.
What's next for Metacrine?
With the support of its latest $85M financing, Metacrine is positioned to accelerate its clinical development programs. The strategic focus remains on completing ongoing trials for MET409, including its combination study with empagliflozin, and advancing the monotherapy trials for MET642. As the company matures, the emphasis will likely shift toward data readout milestones and potential regulatory pathways. The continued involvement of specialized life sciences investors suggests a long-term commitment to scaling the company's R&D capabilities and potentially exploring strategic partnerships to bring these novel therapies to market.
See full Metacrine company page
