Senti Biosciences, Inc. (“Senti Bio”), a leading
gene circuit company, today announced that it has secured
additional funding from Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm
of Bayer AG, in the form of a Note Subscription Agreement for an
unsecured, convertible promissory note (the “Note”) in the
principal amount of $5,175,000.
“I am extremely pleased that Senti’s existing investors continue
to support our mission of engineering gene circuits with
programmable logic in cell and gene therapies, and we are
encouraged by the progress we have made in advancing multiple
oncology programs toward the clinic. For example, our SENTI-202
program employs a first-in-class OR+NOT Logic Gate to potentially
maximize on-target tumor killing while protecting healthy cells,”
said Timothy Lu, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of
Senti Bio. “We are grateful for the highly supportive and
collaborative relationship we have with Leaps by Bayer, and we
believe that our success will bolster Leaps by Bayer's vision of
breakthrough technologies that transform the lives of millions of
patients for the better.”
Upon the closing of the previously announced (December 20, 2021)
business combination between Senti Bio and Dynamics Special
Purpose Corp. (“DYNS”) to create a public company focused on gene
circuit-engineered cell and gene therapies, the Note will be
cancelled and exchanged for DYNS Class A common stock at a
conversion price of $10.00 per share, as described in the Note
Subscription Agreement and Note. The shares of Class A common stock
will have the same registration rights as the shares issued in the
PIPE financing announced concurrently with the proposed business
combination. This additional financing shall count towards the
minimum cash condition as incremental equity financing under the
previously announced Business Combination Agreement (as amended
from time to time).
“We believe that Senti Bio's approach to engineering gene
circuits has the potential to improve the next-generation of cell
and gene therapies and help currently unserved cancer patients,”
said Juergen Eckhardt, Head of Leaps by Bayer. “We are looking
forward to increasing our investment and continuing to work
together with the team at Senti Bio.”
In early 2021, Leaps by Bayer led a $105 million Series B
financing in Senti Bio to support its mission of developing
off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK)
cell therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers. Senti Bio is
developing a proprietary off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell pipeline
engineered with gene circuits. Its lead programs include SENTI-202
and SENTI-301. SENTI-202 is a Logic Gated OR+NOT off-the-shelf
CAR-NK cell therapy designed to target and eliminate
acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells while sparing the healthy
bone marrow. SENTI-301 is a Multi-Armed off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell
therapy designed for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma
(HCC). Senti Bio anticipates filing Investigational New Drug
(IND) applications in 2023 for both candidates. Over the past
several months, Senti Bio scientists have presented preclinical
proof-of-concept data across various programs including at the
annual meetings of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy
(ASGCT), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and
the American Society of Hematology (ASH).
Effectiveness of Registration Statement on Form S-4;
Announced Date of DYNS Special Meeting of Stockholders to Approve
the Proposed Business Combination on June 7, 2022.
DYNS and Senti Bio also announced that the registration
statement on Form S-4 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”)
filed in connection with DYNS’s and Senti Bio’s previously
announced proposed business combination was recently declared
effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”). The Registration Statement provides important information
about DYNS, Senti Bio and the proposed business combination.
The meeting of stockholders of DYNS will be held on June 7, 2022
at 10:00 a.m. ET via live webcast at the following address:
https://www.cstproxy.com/dspc/2022. At the meeting, DYNS’s
stockholders will be asked to vote on proposals to approve the
proposed business combination and related matters. DYNS’s
stockholders of record as of May 3, 2022 (the “Record Date”) are
eligible to attend and vote at the meeting.
About Senti BioOur mission is to create a new
generation of smarter medicines that outmaneuver complex diseases
using novel and unprecedented approaches. To accomplish this, we
are building a synthetic biology platform that may enable us to
program next-generation cell and gene therapies with what we refer
to as Gene Circuits. These Gene Circuits, which are created from
novel and proprietary combinations of DNA sequences, are designed
to reprogram cells with biological logic to sense inputs, compute
decisions, and respond to their cellular environments. We aim to
design Gene Circuits to improve the intelligence of cell and gene
therapies in order to enhance their therapeutic effectiveness,
precision and durability against a broad range of diseases
that conventional medicines do not readily address. Our synthetic
biology platform utilizes off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor
natural killer (CAR-NK) cells, outfitted with these Gene Circuit
technologies, to target particularly challenging liquid and solid
tumor oncology indications, including acute myeloid leukemia,
hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer. We have also
demonstrated the breadth of our Gene Circuits in other modalities
and diseases outside of oncology, and have executed partnerships
with Spark Therapeutics and BlueRock Therapeutics to advance these
capabilities. For more information, please visit the Senti Bio
website at https://www.sentibio.com.
About Dynamics Special Purpose Corp.DYNS was
formed in May 2021 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital
stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization,
or similar business combination. It focused its search in
healthcare and the life sciences, including development platforms
that enable applications in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or
advanced biomaterials—and, within that context, life-sciences
tools, enabling software, synthetic biology and novel drug
discovery.
DYNS’s management team includes Omid Farokhzad, MD, Executive
Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer and
Chair of Seer (NASDAQ: SEER), Mostafa Ronaghi, PhD, Chief Executive
Officer and former Chief Technology Officer of Illumina (NASDAQ:
ILMN), Mark Afrasiabi, JD, Chief Financial Officer and former
partner at Silver Rock Financial LP, and Rowan Chapman, PhD, Chief
Business Officer and former regional head of Johnson & Johnson
Innovation and global head of healthcare investing at GE Ventures.
DYNS’s independent directors include Jay Flatley, interim CEO and
Chair of Zymergen (NASDAQ: ZY) and former CEO of Illumina, David
Epstein, former CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Deep Nishar,
Managing Director at General Catalyst. DYNS’s Chief Scientific
Advisor, Robert Langer, ScD, is the David H. Koch Institute
Professor at MIT and a co-founder of over 30 companies, including
Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA).
Forward-Looking StatementsThis document
contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the
proposed transaction between DYNS and Senti Bio. These
forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words
“believe,” “could,” “predict,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “project,”
“expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,”
“opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,”
“will continue,” “will likely result,” “forecast,” “seek,” “target”
and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events
or trends or that are not statements of historical matters.
Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other
statements about future events that are based on current
expectations of Senti Bio’s and DYNS’s management and assumptions,
whether or not identified in this document, and, as a result, are
subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and
forecasts of financial and performance metrics, projections
of market opportunity and market share, expectations and timing
related to commercial product launches, potential benefits of the
proposed business combination and the potential success of
Senti Bio's go-to-market strategy, the initial market
capitalization of the combined company, the benefits of the
business combination, as well as statements about the potential
attributes and benefits of Senti Bio’s product candidates and the
progress and timing of Senti Bio’s product development activities,
IND filings and clinical trials and expectations related to the
terms and timing of the proposed business combination. These
forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes
only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by
any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a
definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and
circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will
differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are
beyond the control of Senti Bio and DYNS. Many factors could
cause actual future events to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements in this document, including but not
limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not
be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely
affect the price of DYNS’s securities, (ii) changes in domestic and
foreign business, market, financial, political and legal
conditions, (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the
consummation of the transaction, including the adoption of the
Business Combination Agreement by the stockholders of DYNS, the
satisfaction of the minimum closing cash condition following
redemptions by DYNS’s public stockholders and the receipt of
certain governmental and regulatory approvals, (iv) the inability
to complete the PIPE investment in connection with
the transaction, (v) the occurrence of any event, change or
other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the
Business Combination Agreement, (vi) the effect of the announcement
or pendency of the transaction on Senti Bio’s business
relationships, operating results and business generally, (vii)
risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and
operations of Senti Bio and potential difficulties in Senti Bio
employee retention as a result of the transaction, (viii) the
outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against
Senti Bio or DYNS related to the Business Combination Agreement or
the transaction, or any governmental or regulatory
proceedings, investigations or inquiries, (ix) the risk that the
combined company’s securities will not be approved for listing
and the ability to maintain the listing of DYNS’s securities on a
national securities exchange, (x) volatility in the price of DYNS’s
securities, which may arise due to a variety of factors, including
changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in
which DYNS plans to operate and Senti Bio currently operates,
variations in operating performance across competitors,
changes in laws and regulations affecting DYNS’s or Senti Bio’s
business and changes in the proposed capital structure of the
combined company, (xi) the ability to implement business plans,
forecasts and other expectations after the completion of the
proposed transaction, to realize the anticipated benefits of
the proposed transaction, and to identify and realize additional
opportunities, (xii) the risk of downturns and a changing
regulatory landscape in Senti Bio’s highly competitive industry,
(xiii) the lack of third party valuation in determining
whether or not to pursue the proposed transaction, (xiv) risks
relating to the uncertainty of any projected financial
information with respect to Senti Bio, (xv) risks related to
uncertainty in the timing or results of Senti Bio’s preclinical
studies and any future clinical trials, product acceptance
and/or receipt of regulatory approvals for Senti Bio’s product
candidates, (xvi) the ability of the combined company to
compete effectively and its ability to manage growth, (xvii) risks
related to delays and other impacts from the COVID 19 pandemic,
(xviii) the amount of redemption requests made by DYNS’s public
stockholders, (xix) the ability of DYNS or the combined company to
issue equity or equity-linked securities in connection with the
proposed transaction or in the future, and (xx) the success of any
future research, development and commercialization efforts by the
combined company. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.
You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other
risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of
DYNS’s registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No.
333-255930), the registration statement on Form S-4 filed in
connection with the proposed transaction with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 14, 2022, as amended
on April 1, 2022, April 22, 2022, and May 10, 2022 and declared
effective as of May 13, 2022, the proxy statement on Form DEFM 14A
filed by DYNS with the SEC on May 13, 2022, and other documents
filed by DYNS from time to time with the SEC, including its Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with
the SEC on March 7, 2022 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended March 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on May 16, 2022.
These filings identify and address other important risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements
in this document. There may be additional risks that neither
DYNS nor Senti Bio presently knows, or that DYNS and Senti Bio
currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual
results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking
statements in this document. Forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date they are made. DYNS and Senti Bio anticipate
that subsequent events and developments will cause DYNS’s and Senti
Bio’s assessments to change. Readers are cautioned not to put
undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and except as
required by law, DYNS and Senti Bio disclaim any obligation to and
do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events,
or otherwise. Neither DYNS nor Senti Bio gives any assurance
that either DYNS or Senti Bio or the combined company will
achieve any of its expectations.
Any financial projections in this document are forward-looking
statements that are based on assumptions that are inherently
subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of
which are beyond DYNS’s and Senti Bio’s control. While all
projections are necessarily speculative, DYNS and Senti
Bio believe that the preparation of prospective financial
information involves increasingly higher levels of uncertainty
the further out the projection extends from the date of
preparation. The assumptions and estimates underlying the
projected results are inherently uncertain and are subject to a
wide variety of significant business, economic and competitive
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in the projections
(refer to the preceding paragraph in relation to forward looking
statements). The inclusion of projections in this document should
not be regarded as an indication, representation or warranty
that DYNS and Senti Bio, or their representatives, considered or
consider the projections to be a reliable prediction of future
events.
Additional Information About the Proposed Business
Combination and Where To Find ItThe proposed business
combination has been submitted to shareholders of DYNS for their
consideration. DYNS filed a registration statement on Form S-4 (the
“Registration Statement”) with the SEC which includes the proxy
statement distributed to DYNS stockholders in connection with
DYNS’s solicitation for proxies for the vote by DYNS stockholders
in connection with the proposed business combination and other
matters as described in the Registration Statement, as well as the
prospectus relating to the offer of the securities to be issued to
Senti Bio’s stockholders in connection with the completion of the
proposed business combination. DYNS mailed a definitive proxy
statement and other relevant documents to its shareholders as of
the record date established for voting on the proposed business
combination. DYNS’s shareholders and other interested persons are
advised to read the proxy statement/prospectus and any amendments
thereto in connection with DYNS’s solicitation of proxies for its
special meeting of stockholders to be held to approve, among other
things, the proposed business combination, because these documents
contain important information about DYNS, Senti Bio and the
proposed business combination. DYNS stockholders may obtain a copy
of the proxy statement, as well as other documents filed with the
SEC regarding the proposed business combination and other documents
filed with the SEC by DYNS, without charge, at the SEC's website
located at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to 2875 El Camino
Real, Redwood City, CA, 94061.
INVESTMENT IN ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN HAS NOT BEEN
APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SEC OR ANY OTHER REGULATORY
AUTHORITY NOR HAS ANY AUTHORITY PASSED UPON OR ENDORSED THE MERITS
OF THE OFFERING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
OFFENSE.
Participants in the SolicitationDYNS, Senti Bio
and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and
other members of management, employees and consultants may, under
SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of
proxies from DYNS shareholders in connection with the proposed
business combination. Information regarding the persons who may,
under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of DYNS
shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination
is set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus in the Registration
Statement. You can find more information about DYNS’s directors and
executive officers in the Registration Statement. Additional
information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation
and a description of their direct and indirect interests are
included in the proxy statement/prospectus in the Registration
Statement. Shareholders, potential investors and other interested
persons should read the proxy statement/prospectus in the
Registration Statement carefully before making any voting or
investment decisions with respect to shares of DYNS stock. You may
obtain free copies of these documents from the sources indicated
above.
No Offer or SolicitationThis press release does
not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to
buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor
shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which
such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to
registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such
jurisdiction. This press release relates to a potential offering of
securities that will not be registered under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and will be offered as a
private placement pursuant to an exemption from registration under
the Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute a
“solicitation” as defined in Section 14 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended. Neither DYNS, Senti Bio nor any of their
respective directors, executive officers or other members of
management, employees or consultants is making an offering of any
securities in any state where the offer is not permitted.
Find more information at sentibio.comFollow us on
Linkedin: Senti BiosciencesFollow us on
Twitter: @SentiBio
Contact Senti Bio:
Deb Knobelman, PhD, CFO
Email: investors@sentibio.com
Kelli Perkins (Media)
Email: kelli@redhousecomms.com
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