Tempo Therapeutics has secured $14.5 million in an oversubscribed financing round to propel its Microporous Annealed Particle (MAP) regenerative investment, with contributions from Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Gideon Strategic Partners, Mesa Verde Venture Partners, YK Bioventures, and various other new and existing backers.
Tempo is focused on the development of synthetic biomaterials engineered to assist the body in regenerating functional, healthy tissue.
The company’s MAP technology consists of a flowable, porous biomaterial that conforms to irregular tissue voids. It is designed to facilitate cellular infiltration, vascularization, and the formation of new tissue before being gradually replaced by the patient’s own biological material.
This funding follows the release of positive first-in-human clinical results and the submission of a De Novo application to the FDA for the company’s primary product.
The capital will support the surgical reconstruction program as it moves toward potential regulatory clearance and market launch, while also financing clinical research into additional MAP applications, such as regenerative aesthetics.
Tempo’s recently published randomized, controlled, multicenter trial involved 40 patients who underwent full-thickness wound repairs following Mohs surgery for non-melanoma skin cancer.
The trial successfully met its primary safety endpoint, reporting no serious adverse device effects, infections, or delays in wound healing among those treated with MAP.
Wounds treated with MAP achieved a favorable Wound Bed Score approximately 14 days faster than control wounds, without any negative impact on the overall timeline for wound closure.
At the six-month mark, patients treated with MAP demonstrated significantly better physician-assessed scar quality compared to those who received standard hydrocolloid treatments, with notable improvements in scar tension, firmness, and surface level.
Tempo is initially prioritizing the technology for surgical reconstruction, where MAP acts as a temporary scaffold to support the body’s innate regenerative mechanisms.
The company also identifies significant potential within the regenerative aesthetics market, specifically for addressing tissue changes related to healthy aging and weight loss. A portion of the new funding will be directed toward clinical studies in these areas.
Tempo also announced several leadership transitions alongside the financing news.
Eric Richman has been named Interim CEO, while Steven Sands, Co-Principal of Galaxy Sirius Partners, has assumed the role of Chairman of the Board. Richman, who has served on Tempo’s board for two years, brings extensive experience in biotechnology, healthcare, commercialization, strategic transactions, and financing.
Co-founder and former CEO Westbrook Weaver, Ph.D., will transition to the role of Chief Technology Officer. Don Griffin, Ph.D., will serve as Chief Scientific Officer and board member, and Stephanie Deshayes, Ph.D., has been appointed Vice President of Research & Development.
This infusion of capital provides Tempo with the reential commercial launch while simultaneously exploring a broader pipeline of regenerative medicine applications
KEY QUOTES:
“Tempo’s MAP technology has the potential to improve surgical outcomes by supporting the regeneration of natural tissue, with broader potential across surgical reconstruction and injectable bioresorbable implants.”
Martin Sands, Co-Principal of Galaxy Sirius Partners
“MAP was developed around the idea that we could fundamentally improve the way the body responds to injury and augment the body’s process for building tissue by using biomaterials that do not stimulate a foreign body response.”
Westbrook Weaver, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tempo Therapeutics
“Tempo has developed a highly differentiated technology with the potential to change how tissue is restored and regenerated.”
