Biotech Startup Orionis Gets $55 Million for Cancer Trials

Orionis Biosciences LLC, one of several companies seeking to extend cancer immunotherapy to more patients, has raised $55 million in new venture capital to launch its initial clinical trials.

Cancers can suppress the immune system, so startups are seeking treatments designed to overcome this suppression. Waltham, Mass.-based Orionis is developing drugs designed to spark activity in various types of immune cells.