Visterra completes $26M round to prevent and treat infectious disease

Of all the noble causes out there, the prevention of infectious disease is high on the list. This is certainly part of the mission for biotech company Visterra, which has completed a $26 million round of funding to support technology that discovers and develops antibodies used in the prevention and treatment of major diseases. The company’s lead product, VIS410, targets multiple types of influenza, and the investment will contribute to widening the scope of the platform.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Omega Funds contributed $13 million, in addition to a $13 million previously raises from Polaris Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, and Lux Capital. Visterra is based in Cambridge, Mass. Read the press release.