Boulevard Bio launches with $65 million to develop bispecific antibodies for IgA nephropathy and other autoimmune diseases

Boulevard Bio, a new biotech co-founded by autoimmune researcher Georg Schett and former Sanofi CSO Frank Nestle, announced its launch on Wednesday with $65 million in funding.

The company’s first program, BLVD-101, is a bispecific antibody that simultaneously targets the BAFF and APRIL cytokines, which are implicated in the progression of IgA nephropathy, a chronic kidney disease.

BLVD-101 follows a similar mechanism to recently approved drugs such as Vera Therapeutics' Trutakna and Otsuka's Voyxact, but it is designed for dosing every 12 weeks rather than weekly or monthly, potentially reducing treatment burden.

CEO Mahesh Karande said the longer dosing interval could free patients from the "tremendous burden that they carry in autoimmune diseases," and the candidate is already in early-stage testing.