Boulevard Bio launches with $65M to develop targeted autoimmune antibodies

Aug 12, 2026

Boulevard Bio officially launched on August 12, 2026, with $65 million in funding from Deerfield Management to develop targeted autoimmune antibody therapies. Co-founded by pioneering researcher Georg Schett and led by CEO Mahesh Karande, the startup is advancing three drug candidates. Its lead asset, BLVD-101, is a bispecific antibody for IgA nephropathy designed for dosing every 12 weeks, positioning it against approved therapies from Vera Therapeutics and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

Boulevard Bio $65M launch

▪Boulevard Bio CEO Mahesh Karande, who joined the startup around August 2025, stated that the company will seek to raise additional funding following its launch.
▪Boulevard Bio officially launched on August 12, 2026, with $65 million in funding to develop targeted autoimmune antibody therapies.
▪Boulevard Bio was formed and is solely backed financially by Deerfield Management, having developed within its biotech incubator, Deerfield Discovery and Development.

BLVD-101 IgAN bispecific antibody

▪Preliminary Phase 1 clinical results in healthy volunteers support dosing Boulevard Bio's injectable drug BLVD-101 once every 12 weeks.
▪BLVD-101 is designed to inhibit the BAFF and APRIL cytokines, which drive the production of autoantibodies that attack kidney tissue in IgA nephropathy.
▪Boulevard Bio's lead drug candidate, BLVD-101, is an internally discovered bispecific antibody designed to treat the progressive kidney condition IgA nephropathy.

BLVD-201 immune reset trispecific

▪Boulevard Bio licensed BLVD-201 in June 2026 from China-based developer METiS TechBio for $20 million up front and up to $1.6 billion in future milestones.
▪Boulevard Bio's second drug candidate, BLVD-201, is a trispecific T-cell engager designed to target CD19, BCMA, and CD3 to deplete disease-driving immune cells.
▪Boulevard Bio is developing a third candidate, BLVD-301, which is an internally discovered therapy targeting an undisclosed novel combination in B-cell diseases.

Georg Schett co-founder role

▪Pioneering autoimmune researcher Georg Schett, known for demonstrating that CAR-T cell therapies can reset the immune system, is a co-founder of Boulevard Bio.
▪Georg Schett did not bring specific molecules or technologies to Boulevard Bio, instead contributing his scientific expertise to help shape the startup's pipeline.
▪Frank Nestle, a partner at Deerfield Management and CEO of 3DC, is a scientific co-founder of Boulevard Bio alongside Georg Schett.

IgAN competitive landscape

▪Otsuka Pharmaceutical's APRIL-blocking antibody drug Voyxact is approved by U.S. regulators for the treatment of IgA nephropathy.
▪Vertex Pharmaceuticals is developing povetacicept, a BAFF/APRIL-blocking fusion protein for IgA nephropathy, with an FDA decision expected in November 2026.
▪The FDA approved Vera Therapeutics' BAFF/APRIL-inhibiting fusion protein Trutakna in July 2026 for the treatment of IgA nephropathy.