Tevard Biosciences nets follow-on CureDuchenne investment for suppressor tRNA Duchenne therapy

Tevard BiosciencesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech developing tRNA-based therapies for genetic diseases, has secured a second investment from CureDuchenneDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to advance its suppressor tRNA (suptRNA) platform for Duchenne muscular dystrophy caused by nonsense mutations. Financial terms were not disclosed. The follow-on commitment builds on CureDuchenne's initial investment in Tevard in 2023.

Nonsense mutations introduce a premature stop codon into the dystrophin gene, halting translation before a full-length protein can be assembled. They affect roughly 12% of people living with Duchenne, and no approved therapies currently target this mutation class. Tevard's engineered suppressor tRNAs are designed to read through those premature stop codons, allowing the cell's translation machinery to produce full-length, natural dystrophin protein.

The company's latest-generation candidates have generated preclinical data showing restoration of an average of 70% of wild-type dystrophin protein levels in Duchenne disease models, alongside functional improvements and durable protein expression following a single intravenous dose. Tevard will present the data publicly for the first time at the CureDuchenne FUTURES National Conference on May 22, 2026, followed by a webinar on May 28.

"We are deeply grateful for CureDuchenne's early belief in our platform and their continued partnership as we advance this important work," said Daniel Fischer, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Tevard. Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne, added that the organisation "saw the potential in Tevard's technology early" and welcomed other investors to join. CureDuchenne's venture philanthropy model has deployed more than USD 27 million across 19 programmes that have progressed to human clinical trials.

Tevard was founded by MIT molecular biologist Harvey Lodish with Daniel Fischer and Warren Lammert, both parents of children with Dravet syndrome. The CureDuchenne investment runs alongside Tevard's 2023 research collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, under which Vertex funds tRNA-based therapy programmes in DMD with options to expand into additional muscular dystrophies.

Read more: CureDuchenne · AllSci