Mozart has licensed technology developed by Stanford University's Mark Davis, PhD, who discovered that a CD8 T regulatory cell network plays a role in monitoring, recognizing, and eliminating inappropriately activated autoreactive and pathogenic immune cells that are a root cause for autoimmune and inflammatory disease, according to the company. The firm will develop therapeutic candidates that target and modulate this network to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

The Seattle-based firm has secured $55 million in series A financing. The financing round was led by seed and series A investor Arch Venture Partners and Sofinnova Partners. Additional investors include Eli Lilly, MRL Ventures Fund, Leaps by Bayer, Altitude Life Science Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments, Mozart said.

The company said it would use the funds to advance its lead CD8 T regulatory cell network modulator into the clinic and support additional programs generated from its platform.