AVROBIO and Tectonic Therapeutic Announce Merger

Merger Details - AVROBIO and Tectonic Therapeutic have entered into a definitive merger agreement in an all-stock transaction, with AVROBIO acquiring 100% of Tectonic's equity [1] - The combined company will operate under the name Tectonic Therapeutic, Inc and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "TECX" [1] - Tectonic has raised $130.7 million in a private placement, with the combined company expected to have approximately$165 million in cash and cash equivalents at closing [1] Strategic Rationale - The merger enhances Tectonic's ability to advance its clinical-stage Fc-relaxin fusion protein, TX45, and other pipeline assets [2] - Tectonic's GEODeTM platform enables the discovery of biologics targeting challenging GPCRs, which are central to human biology and the target of over 30% of approved drugs [2][3] - The combined company is expected to have sufficient cash to fund operations into mid-2027 [1] Tectonic's Pipeline - TX45, a potential best-in-class Fc-relaxin fusion protein, is being developed for Group 2 Pulmonary Hypertension in HFpEF patients, affecting over 600,000 people in the US [4] - Phase 1a data for TX45 has shown promising PK/PD effects, with Phase 1b and Phase 2 data expected in 2025 and 2026, respectively [5] - Tectonic's second program targets Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), affecting approximately 75,000 patients in the US, with human studies planned for late 2025 to early 2026 [5] - A third program focuses on fibrosis using a bispecific approach to inhibit two different receptors [5] Financial and Organizational Structure - Post-merger, AVROBIO shareholders will own approximately 22.3% of the combined company, while Tectonic shareholders will own approximately 40.2% [6] - The combined company will be led by Tectonic's management team, with one AVROBIO board member joining the new board [7] - The merger is expected to close in Q2 2024, subject to shareholder approvals and other customary closing conditions [7] Advisors - Leerink Partners is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Tectonic, with Cooley LLP as legal counsel [8] - Piper Sandler is acting as capital markets advisor to Tectonic, while TD Cowen and Houlihan Lokey are serving as financial advisors to AVROBIO [8]