Laser-activated eye cancer drug developer Aura Biosciences scores $40M in Medicxi-led round

Building on the work of NCI scientist John Schiller — who illustrated virus-like particles modeled on the human papillomavirus (HPV) tend to ignore normal epithelium and make a beeline for solid tumors and metastases — Aura Biosciences is working on a treatment for a rare and aggressive type of eye cancer. On Tuesday, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm completed a $40 million Series D round, led by Medicxi.