Hexagon Bio raised $77.3 million in a Series B funding round and appointed a new chief scientific officer, the biopharma company said Monday. 

The firm, which mines microbial genomes to develop small molecules produced by bacteria and fungi, said the funding round was joined by existing investors such as The Column Group and Two Sigma Ventures, as well as new ones like Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).

The Series B round followed raises of $61 million in 2021, led by Nextech Invest, and a $47 million series A round in 2020, led by The Column Group. The company, whose initial programs are focused on oncology and infectious disease, said it plans to use proceeds to continue to grow its team across multiple disciplines as it expands the reach and capabilities of its platform. 

As for the most recent appointments, Tara Arvedson was promoted from SVP of research to chief scientific officer. She follows former CSO Tod Smeal, who joined as SCO in 2020, and is now serving as CSO at Cardiff Oncology.

Arvedson joined last year from Amgen, where she served as executive director of oncology research and led small- and large-molecule programs in oncology, immuno-oncology, inflammation and hematology. Among her accomplishments at Amgen, Arvedson initiated its KRAS G12C-targeting effort, which resulted in the first approved KRAS-targeting molecule, Lumakras (sotorasib). 

Another Amgen veteran, Victor Cee, also joined Hexagon as SVP of drug discovery. Formerly, Cee served as VP of chemistry for Oncovalent Therapeutics. Prior to Oncovalent, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen, including research project team leader for Lumakras.  

“We are excited to now have Tara fully at the helm of our scientific organization as we continue to expand our platform’s capabilities and advance toward development candidate nomination,” stated Maureen Hillenmeyer, Hexagon’s co-founder and CEO. “Since joining Hexagon early last year, she has had a tremendous impact on our progress and growth.”

Arvedson and Cee, who will lead Hexagon’s drug discovery efforts “worked closely together at Amgen to advance sotorasib, a critical breakthrough for cancer,” added Hillenmeyer. “We look forward to their fruitful scientific collaboration continuing at Hexagon as we work to deliver breakthroughs for patients.”

Other investors who participated in Hexagon’s Series B round included 8VC and Nextech.