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Aura Biosciences Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results and Business Highlights
AURAAura Biosciences(AURA) Newsfilter·2025-03-24 20:01

Core Insights - Aura Biosciences, Inc. reported positive Phase 1 trial data for bel-sar in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), indicating its potential as a front-line treatment option [1][9] - The company is actively enrolling patients in the Phase 3 CoMpass trial for early-stage choroidal melanoma, which is the first registration-enabling study for this indication [4][5] - Aura's cash position is projected to support operations into the second half of 2026, with total cash and cash equivalents amounting to 151.1millionasofDecember31,2024[12][19]ClinicalPipelineDevelopmentsThePhase2trialformetastasestothechoroidhasbeeninitiated,addressingasignificantunmetmedicalneedwithnoapprovedtherapies[3][6]TheCoMpasstrialaimstoenrollapproximately100patientswithdocumentedtumorgrowth,withover175patientsregisteredinprescreeningsinceJune2024[5][4]Belsarisalsobeingexploredforadditionalocularoncologyindications,includingcancersoftheocularsurface,whichcollectivelyaffectover60,000patientsannuallyintheU.S.andEurope[6][8]FinancialPerformanceResearchanddevelopmentexpensesincreasedto151.1 million as of December 31, 2024 [12][19] Clinical Pipeline Developments - The Phase 2 trial for metastases to the choroid has been initiated, addressing a significant unmet medical need with no approved therapies [3][6] - The CoMpass trial aims to enroll approximately 100 patients with documented tumor growth, with over 175 patients registered in pre-screening since June 2024 [5][4] - Bel-sar is also being explored for additional ocular oncology indications, including cancers of the ocular surface, which collectively affect over 60,000 patients annually in the U.S. and Europe [6][8] Financial Performance - Research and development expenses increased to 22.3 million for Q4 2024, up from 20.3millioninQ42023,primarilyduetoongoingclinicaltrialcosts[12][19]Generalandadministrativeexpensesroseto20.3 million in Q4 2023, primarily due to ongoing clinical trial costs [12][19] - General and administrative expenses rose to 5.5 million for Q4 2024, compared to 4.5millioninQ42023,drivenbypersonnelandcorporateexpenses[12][19]Thenetlossforthefullyear2024was4.5 million in Q4 2023, driven by personnel and corporate expenses [12][19] - The net loss for the full year 2024 was 86.9 million, compared to $76.4 million in 2023, reflecting increased operational costs [12][19]