Multi-year effort leverages Muna’s all-in-human MiND-MAP spatial multi-omics approach to identify and validate new drug targets and treatment pathways for Alzheimer’s disease
GSK secures option to multiple high-value, validated Alzheimer’s-relevant targets for drug discovery, development, and commercialization
Copenhagen, Denmark, December 5, 2024 –Muna Therapeutics (Muna), a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced a research alliance with GSK to identify and validate novel drug targets for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The companies will explore insights from Muna’s MiND-MAP platform, which applies spatial transcriptomics to brain samples from Alzheimer’s disease patients, cognitively resilient individuals, healthy controls, and centenarians with and without cognitive impairment. This unique dataset of exceptional breadth and resolution will fuel the discovery and development of innovative medicines for Alzheimer’s disease.
Together, Muna and GSK will assess postmortem human brain samples with spatial transcriptomics and other approaches to identify and validate potential new drug targets. The collaboration leverages Muna’s deep expertise in mapping the brain’s response to pathological protein aggregates and its all-in-human platform to identify cellular mechanisms, gene networks, and molecular interactions that underlie brain resilience. Candidate drug targets will be validated using Muna’s suite of humanized cell and animal models, supported by insights from patient tissue and biofluid samples.
“Our agreement marks a pivotal moment in Muna’s evolution and in the broader Alzheimer’s research landscape,” said Rita Balice-Gordon, Ph.D., Muna’s Chief Executive Officer. “By combining GSK’s commitment to breakthrough science with our MiND-MAP platform’s ability to deliver novel insights into brain resilience, we aim to transform the landscape of drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases and bring new hope to millions of patients worldwide.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Muna will receive an upfront payment from GSK of €33.5 million. In addition, Muna will be eligible to receive up to €140 million per target in milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales of products. Muna will expand and enhance its existing MiND-MAP dataset and will lead the identification and validation of new Alzheimer’s disease targets. GSK will lead drug development and be responsible for preclinical activities, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization resulting from work on targets discovered and validated in the collaboration.
“By applying spatial multi-omics to unique patient phenotypes, Muna’s MiND-MAP platform is able to determine the genetic and cellular basis of progression and resilience in neurodegenerative diseases,” said Kaivan Khavandi M.D., Ph.D., SVP & Global Head of Respiratory/Immunology R&D at GSK. “The alliance exemplifies our discovery ethos, to utilize advanced data and platform tech to identify high-confidence, human-data-derived, causal targets, which we can support with GSK’s scale and expertise in clinical development and commercialization, to bring desperately needed new therapeutic solutions in Alzheimer’s disease.”
About Muna Therapeutics
Muna Therapeutics discovers and develops therapies that slow or stop devastating neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. These disorders impact memory, movement, language, behavior and personality, resulting in disability and death of millions of patients around the globe. Muna focuses its groundbreaking science on identifying new medicines to preserve cognition and other brain functions, enhance resilience to disease pathology, and slow or stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Its name reflects this focus: Muna means ‘to remember’ in Old Norse. For more information, visit www.munatherapeutics.com. Follow Muna on Linkedin.
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Media Contact:
Lia Dangelico
Deerfield Group
Email: lia.dangelico@deerfieldgroup.com
Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium, November 18th, 2024 — ATB Therapeutics (‘ATB’ or ‘the
Company’) is excited to announce the successful completion of a €54 million Series A funding
round, aimed at accelerating the clinical development of a groundbreaking therapeutic antibody
pipeline derived from its proprietary ATBioFarm platform. The financing was co-led by EQT Life
Sciences and MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV), alongside contributions from V-Bio Ventures, VIVES
Partners, the Belgian sovereign fund SFPIM, Wallonie Entreprendre, Sambrinvest, and existing
investors.
ATB Therapeutics is dedicated to pioneering First-in-Class biologics that incorporate novel cell
killing mechanisms, including enzymatic functionalities within targeted antibodies. These rapidly
produced heterobifunctional antibodies combine multiple targeting and killing domains,
enhancing their effectiveness and safety compared to traditional conjugates. The ATBioFarm
technology facilitates the scalable, single-step production of these sophisticated, highly stable
and homogenous biologics, promising significant advancements across various therapeutic
applications.
The current capital increase will allow ATB to expand and enhance its state-of-the-art ATBioFarm
platform as well as to accelerate development of its unique “weaponized” antibodies for oncology
and immunology applications. ATB’s research and development operations will be extended to
Ghent and will continue in Marche-en-Famenne, where the Company is also setting up a cutting
edge pilot manufacturing facility.
In conjunction with this funding, ATB is excited to announce the appointment of Mark Throsby as
Executive Chairman. Mark is an industry veteran and the former Chief Scientific Officer of
Merus (NASDAQ: MRUS) where he was instrumental in the development of the bispecific antibody
therapeutics petosemtamab and zenocutuzumab. With his wealth of experience and expertise in
antibody development, Mark further strengthens the Company’s leadership, as ATB embarks on
this pivotal phase of growth. The Company is also welcoming seasoned biotech investors Karin
Kleinhans, Partner at MRLV, and John de Koning, Partner at EQT, to its Board of Directors.
“Our successful financing round demonstrates the strong potential of the ATBioFarm platform
and the confidence prominent international investors have in our vision,” stated Bertrand Magy,
CEO and co-founder of ATB Therapeutics. “We are grateful to our existing investors and the Région
Wallonne for their unwavering support. This funding will enable us to bolster our team, expand our
operations, and advance our mission to deliver transformative therapies to patients worldwide.”
Mark Throsby expressed his enthusiasm for this new role, stating, “I am particularly impressed by
the ATBioFarm platform’s capability to swiftly generate a diverse array of candidate molecules
with unique cytotoxic and targeting features. This innovative approach addresses critical challenges
in selecting ADC drug candidates and opens avenues for new mechanisms of action
that fulfill unmet clinical needs. I look forward to collaborating with the ATB team to bring this
vision to reality.”
“The founders of ATB Therapeutics have demonstrated remarkable entrepreneurial vision by
establishing a proprietary drug discovery, development, and manufacturing platform from the
ground up,” remarked John de Koning of EQT Life Sciences. “The platform’s ability to manufacture
antibodies from a single expression construct that integrates both targeting and direct cytotoxic
functions is truly exceptional, positioning ATB as a prospective leader in the next generation of
biopharmaceuticals.”
“At MRLV, our mission is to identify and support innovative technologies capable of transforming
treatment approaches and enhancing patient outcomes,” added Karin Kleinhans. “We are thrilled
to collaborate with ATB Therapeutics as they advance a pioneering class of antibody therapeutics
towards clinical development.”
About ATB Therapeutics
Founded in 2018, ATB Therapeutics is a pioneering biotechnology company based in Marche-en
Famenne, Belgium, dedicated to the discovery and development of novel antibody therapies.
Leveraging a proprietary technology platform based on plant molecular farming, ATB Therapeutics
aims to deliver targeted solutions to high unmet medical needs, including oncology and
autoimmune diseases, through innovative, next-generation of weaponized antibody treatments.
About EQT Life Sciences
EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life
sciences and healthcare venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over
EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it
started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment
professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life
Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for
patients.
About MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV)
MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV) is a therapeutics-focused corporate venture fund of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Rahway, N.J., USA. From its headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., USA, the MRLV team invests
globally in early-stage innovative therapeutics companies that are developing transformative
medicines in any therapeutics area using any modality. The MRLV team of experienced-life
sciences venture capital professionals is committed to supporting great entrepreneurs in their
quest to create value through building companies that have a meaningful impact on health and
disease. For more information, visit www.mrlv.com.
About V-Bio Ventures
V-Bio Ventures (www.v-bio.ventures) is an independent venture capital firm specialized in
financing and supporting innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was founded in 2015
and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s leading research institutes in the
life sciences. The fund invests across Europe in high growth potential start-ups and young
companies targeting transformational innovations in the biotech, pharmaceutical and
agricultural sectors.
Ghent, Belgium, 19 September 2024 – Tanai Therapeutics (“the Company” or “Tanai”), a VIB spin-off company developing a new therapeutic class of obesity treatments, today announces it has secured additional financing from Novo Nordisk A/S and BioGeneration Ventures (“BGV”) alongside existing investors V-Bio Ventures, Qbic and VIB, bringing the total seed round to date to over EUR 6 million. Tanai is developing an oral therapeutic targeting a novel, genetically validated pathway in obesity that plays a key role in energy expenditure.
In addition, Tanai Therapeutics also announces the appointment of leading experts Prof. Bill Haynes, Prof. Susanne la Fleur, Prof. Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, Prof. Mads Tang-Christensen, Prof. Matthias Tschöp and scientific founder Prof. Savvas Savvides to its newly formed Scientific Advisory Board.
Tanai Therapeutics was founded in 2023 based on research at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research with initial seed financing from V-Bio Ventures as lead investor, Qbic and VIB. The additional financing secured from Novo Nordisk, a leading global healthcare company with a strong heritage in metabolic diseases, and BGV, a prominent European early-stage venture capital firm with a proven track record in building next-generation biotech companies, will be pivotal in advancing Tanai’s innovative anti-obesity therapeutics towards in-vivo proof-of-concept.
“Through its unique mode of action, Tanai’s genetically validated drug target has the potential to selectively promote fat loss through increased energy expenditure while preserving muscle mass, offering a promising new approach to obesity treatment”, said Karin Conde-Knape, Senior Vice President, Global Drug Discovery at Novo Nordisk. “Tanai Therapeutics is the first equity investment through our Science2Medicine iNNvest programme, which aims to incentivise and support innovative biotechs within cardiometabolism, and we look forward to collaborating with all its stakeholders.”
“For BGV, we have actively monitored this novel therapeutic area, even prior to its high growth rate, and have reviewed multiple investment propositions. Tanai’s mechanism of action is highly differentiated and therefore holds a very strong potential in tackling obesity”, added Rianne Ellenbroek, Principal at BGV. “The formation of this distinguished Scientific Advisory Board underscores our confidence in Tanai’s innovative approach and its promise to revolutionize obesity therapy.”
Jérôme Van Biervliet, Managing Director at VIB, added: “Together with V-Bio Ventures and Qbic, we are pleased to welcome our new investors and scientific advisors. We are honoured to work closely with such prominent experts in the field, which is a strong validation of the potential of Tanai’s novel therapeutic approach. This collaboration and financing will enable Tanai Therapeutics to advance its obesity program towards key milestones, and we look forward to reporting on the company’s successes.”
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Contact:
OSS, Netherlands, 24 April 2024 – Flindr Therapeutics B.V. (“Flindr” or “the Company”), a precision oncology therapeutics company, today announces a €20 million Series A financing to advance its pipeline of first-in-class, small molecule inhibitors for treatment of cancer. V-Bio Ventures led the financing alongside other new investors Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), QBIC Fund, Flanders Future Tech Fund and Curie Capital, as well as existing investors Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund, Swanbridge and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM).
Flindr combines world class science and expertise in translational biology, cancer target identification, immuno-oncology and small molecule oncology drug development. The expert team has a successful track record in the identification and development of covalent small molecules inhibitors from discovery to market approval.
The Company utilizes the “ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine”, which has evolved from seminal work in the laboratories of the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Oncode Institute. This approach involves reverse-translating the heterogeneity in tumor-specific and host-specific factors, as commonly seen in patients in the clinic, into lab-based biological models to screen for and select the most important drug targets involved in patient clinical response.
Flindr’s lead program is a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of RNF31 (also known as HOIP), a protein-stabilizing E3 ubiquitin ligase which is aberrantly activated in solid and hematological malignancies. The Company has already obtained highly promising activity for the drug candidate in preclinical ovarian cancer and B-cell lymphoma models, and identified biomarkers which will help select patients most likely to respond to treatment with RNF31 inhibitors. Flindr will use the funds to progress its lead program to IND, develop an exciting second program, and broaden its pipeline using the ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine.
Flindr Therapeutics was created in 2020, with Maarten Ligtenberg as the founding CEO, and initial seed financing from Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund, Swanbridge Capital and Innovatiefonds Noord Holland. In 2023, Flindr joined forces with VIB, Flanders’ leading life sciences research institute, and the lab of Professor Rudi Beyaert (of the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research), to leverage their deep expertise of immunology – including RNF31 biology – and development of animal cancer models. Their work with Flindr in these areas will provide further validation of RNF31 as a target and will enable the Company to make safety predictions.
Maarten Ligtenberg, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Flindr, said: “This €20 million Series A financing will help us translate our precision targets into precision therapies, with the ultimate goal of potentially transforming the lives of patients with cancer. The backing of this highly regarded investor syndicate is a strong validation of our unique approach and the potential of our pipeline.”
Christina Takke, Managing Partner at V-Bio Ventures, commented: “We strongly believe that a complementary team is crucial for any success. The Flindr team combines well-established identification expertise from the NKI with world class biological insights from VIB, and its deep experience and successful track record in the identification and development of covalent small molecules inhibitors.”
Following financing, the Flindr Supervisory Board of Directors will include Christina Takke, V-Bio Ventures, Chris De Jonghe, Oncode Institute, Tine Bekaert, Flanders Future Tech Fund, Cedric van Nevel, QBIC Fund and Allard Kaptein, CEO of Genase Therapeutics and Chief Strategy Officer of IMMIOS, as well as a representative of JJDC.
V-Bio Ventures
Christina Takke
Email: christina.takke@v-bio.ventures
Flindr Therapeutics
Ernst Geutjes, PhD
Chief Business Officer
Email: e.geutjes@flindrtx.com
Flindr Therapeutics, based in Oss in the Netherlands, is a private pre-clinical biotech company developing next-generation precision oncology treatments. The Company, previously called Immagene, was spun out of the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and Oncode Institute in 2020, by founders Prof Daniel Peeper, Prof Christian Blank and Dr Maarten Ligtenberg. Flindr is actively building a pipeline of highly promising, first-in-class precision oncology therapies identified through the ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine. It is backed by V-Bio Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., QBIC Fund, Flanders Future Tech Fund, Curie Capital, Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund, Swanbridge, Innovatiefonds Noord Holland, and BOM. Flindr has entered into a research collaboration with the NKI, and the VIB (Flanders Institute of Biotechnology).
V-Bio Ventures (www.v-bio.ventures) is an independent venture capital firm specialized in financing and supporting innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was founded in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s leading research institutes in the life sciences. The fund invests across Europe in high growth potential start-ups and young companies targeting transformational innovations in the biotech, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors.
Agomab Therapeutics NV (‘Agomab’) today announced the closing of a $100 million (€94.9 million) Series C financing round led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from new investors EQT Life Sciences (EQT), Canaan, Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR, and existing investors.
— Round led by Fidelity Management & Research Company with participation from new investors EQT Life Sciences, Canaan and Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR, as well as existing investors –
— Proceeds will support clinical Phase 2 stage lead candidate AGMB-129 for Fibrostenosing Crohn’s Disease and the development of a highly innovative pipeline of anti-fibrotic and regenerative therapies, including AGMB-447 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and AGMB-101 and AGMB-102 for inflammatory and fibrotic indications –
Ghent, Belgium, October 11, 2023 – Agomab Therapeutics NV (‘Agomab’) today announced the closing of a $100 million (€94.9 million) Series C financing round led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from new investors EQT Life Sciences (EQT), Canaan, Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR, and existing investors.
The new capital from the Series C financing will support the recently announced STENOVA Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating Agomab’s lead candidate AGMB-129, a gut-restricted small molecule inhibitor of ALK5, in patients with Fibrostenosing Crohn’s Disease (FSCD). In parallel to the start of Ph2a, AGMB-129 was also granted U.S. FDA Fast Track designation. Fibrotic strictures occur in up to 50% of Crohn’s Disease patients and are the leading cause of bowel resection surgery, however there are no approved therapies for FSCD. Earlier this year, Agomab announced positive Phase 1 results showing that single- and multiple-dose oral AGMB-129 was safe and well-tolerated at all doses tested and confirming gastro-intestinal (GI)-restricted exposure.
In addition, the proceeds will be used to advance and expand Agomab’s portfolio of growth factor-targeting drug candidates, including AGMB-447, a Phase 1-ready small molecule lung-restricted inhibitor of ALK5 for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and AGMB-101 and AGMB-102, cMET agonistic antibodies for the treatment of fibrotic and degenerative disorders. The proceeds will also enable strategic expansion of the organization and fund general corporate purposes.
As part of the Series C funding round, Felice Verduyn – van Weegen, representing EQT, will join Agomab’s Board of Directors, while Iyona Rajkomar, representing Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR, and Colleen Cuffaro, representing Canaan, will join as Board Observers.
“With the addition of these world-class investors we continue to build the company as a leader in the field of fibrosis and have secured the funding required to conduct clinical studies for multiple drug candidates,” said Tim Knotnerus, Chief Executive Officer at Agomab Therapeutics. “I am very pleased to be able to work with the new board to further develop our potentially game-changing therapeutics for the many patients in high need for anti-fibrotic therapies.”
“We have followed Tim and the team for years and believe that this is the right moment to join the company’s journey,” added Felice Verduyn – van Weegen, Partner at EQT Life Sciences. “We are very impressed by Agomab’s scientific approach, strong team and mission to discover and develop drug candidates for fibrotic diseases, which remain underserved by current treatments available.”
Agomab is translating a deep expertise in growth factor biology to pioneer and develop novel treatments that aim to resolve fibrosis, repair tissue structure, and restore organ function. By combining new scientific insights with robust drug development and a long-term corporate vision, we are building a broad clinical pipeline of differentiated programs with disease modifying potential in fibrotic diseases.
Agomab’s pipeline of growth factor targeting antibodies and small molecule compounds includes its lead candidate AGMB-129, a gastrointestinal tract restricted ALK5 inhibitor for which it has recently started a Phase 2a clinical trial in Fibrostenosing Crohn’s Disease and received U.S. FDA Fast Track Designation. The second TGFß targeting pipeline candidate, AGMB-447, is a Phase-1-ready lung-restricted ALK5-inhibitor for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. AGMB-101 is an HGF-mimetic cMET receptor agonist in IND-enabling development for the treatment of fibrotic disorders. https://agomab.com/
V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors. To learn more, please visit www.v-bio.ventures
September 20, 2023, BOSTON, MA and GHENT, Belgium – Orionis Biosciences, a privately held life sciences company with an integrated drug discovery and chemical biology platform, announced today a multi-year collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover novel small molecule medicines for challenging targets in major disease areas, including oncology and neurodegeneration. Orionis will receive an upfront payment of $47 million, as well as future milestone-related payments. Orionis will leverage its Allo-GlueTM platform for discovery of small molecule monovalent glues.
Orionis’s Allo-Glue™ platform utilizes multiple unique approaches to discover drug-like small molecules against disease targets that have remained elusive to traditional discovery approaches. The platform integrates a suite of proprietary chemical biology technologies, including biological assays, computational analyses, chemical libraries and automated processes for high throughput discovery, rational design and optimization of small molecules that promote or induce interactions of proteins in living cells. This includes molecular glues that can promote interactions leading to either target degradation (through virtually any ligase) or modulation of target function, via either direct or allosteric mechanisms. Both target-centric and ligase-driven discovery paradigms are enabled and leveraged in a synergistic manner in the company’s overall approaches to molecular glue discovery.
Under the terms of the agreement, Orionis will be responsible for the discovery and optimization of molecular glues for Genentech’s designated targets, while Genentech will be responsible for subsequent later-stage preclinical, clinical development, regulatory filing, and commercialization of such small molecules. Orionis will receive an upfront payment of $47 million and is eligible for development milestone payments, as well as commercial and net sales milestone payments that could exceed $2 billion and a tiered royalty upon sale of collaboration products.
“Molecular glues represent one of the most exciting recent developments in small-molecule drug discovery. We are thrilled to collaborate with Genentech, a company long known for its world-class science and trailblazing medicines, to make use of technological innovations that we have systematically evolved over the past years to unlock novel target space with such drug modalities” said Nikolai Kley, Co-Founder and CEO of Orionis Biosciences. “We could not be more excited about the potential for this pioneering collaboration to lead to impactful new treatment paradigms.”
Riccardo Sabatini, Orionis Chief Data Scientist, added, “It is exciting to see how synergies created by the integration of our biological, chemical and computational technologies are being leveraged for the discovery and design of molecular glues.”
“Molecular glue degraders are an exciting modality to target disease-related proteins that have proven challenging with more traditional treatment modalities,” said James Sabry, Global Head, Roche Pharma Partnering. “For patients with unmet needs, this offers a new therapeutic approach to modulate major disease drivers. This collaboration enables us to apply the concept of targeted protein degradation to discover and develop medicines for patients with serious and life-threatening diseases.”
Orionis Biosciences is a life sciences company pioneering the discovery of conditionally active drug modalities for life threatening diseases. These operate by leveraging induced molecular proximity and cooperativity mechanisms in unique fashion to gain novel target access, potency and precision. The company applies its design concepts and technological innovations to the discovery of small molecules, with a focus on monovalent molecular glues with its Allo-GlueTM platform, and to the design and engineering of novel classes of precision biologics and cytokine-based immunotherapies with its A-KineTM platform. The company is advancing a deep and diversified pipeline of drug modalities, including agents that engage components of the adaptive and innate immune systems with high precision, creating new avenues for the development of single agent-effective therapies for patients with cancer and other diseases. To learn more, please visit www.orionisbio.com.
Orionis Media Contact: Olivia Durr, Ten Bridge Communications; odurr@tenbridgecommunications.com
V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors. To learn more, please visit www.v-bio.ventures.
Ghent, Belgium, 7 September 2023 – Corteria Pharmaceuticals, a V-Bio Ventures portfolio company, is a biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of transformative therapies for unaddressed heart failure subpopulations. Corteria today announced an oversubscribed EUR 65 million Series A co-led by US investment firm OrbiMed and EU-based leading investment firm Jeito Capital, with the participation of all existing seed investors (V-Bio Ventures, Kurma Partners, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Invivo Capital, and Omnes Capital). The funding will be used to advance Corteria’s cardiovascular pipeline into the clinic.
Heart failure is a serious disease with a prevalence of more than 60 million patients globally and still growing. Corteria’s innovative approach consists of selecting therapeutic targets involved in the worsening and acute forms of human heart failure, as well as a stratification strategy to identify specific subgroups that are most likely to benefit from the treatments. These forms of heart failure are widespread, life-threatening, and not directly addressed by the current standards of care.
Corteria was founded in 2021 by Sanofi’s former head of cardiovascular research, Philip Janiak, and Marie-Laure Ozoux, former cardiovascular project leader at Sanofi, around two cardiovascular programs in-licensed from Sanofi[1].
Since then, Corteria’s pipeline has expanded rapidly and today comprises three first-in-class therapies that are highly differentiated as they produce multi-organ benefits, acting on the kidneys, the vessels, and the heart:
The lead asset for Worsening Heart Failure is expected to enter the clinic in early 2024.
[1] CRF2 peptide agonist and AVP neutralizing monoclonal antibody programs
[2] Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2
V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors.
Founded in 2021, Corteria Pharmaceuticals is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class drugs in heart failure subpopulations. Despite some improvements in the management of this serious disease, the prevalence of heart failure keeps increasing with more than 60 million patients worldwide. Corteria’s strategy implies innovative patient stratification and target selection based on human evidence and a better understanding of the disease biology in patients with a focus on worsening and acute heart failure and right heart failure.
Ghent, Belgium, 15 May 2023 – Dualyx NV, a Ghent based biotech developing next generation immune modulators, today announces that it has completed a €40 million ($44 million) Series A financing. The fundraise has been co-led by Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion and Andera Partners, with support from existing investors V-Bio Ventures, BGV, PMV, VIB, HTGF, and GFF. The funds raised will enable Dualyx to progress its lead autoimmune program DT- 001, as well as its pipeline of Treg candidates. Ena Prosser, Partner at Fountain Healthcare Partners, Juliette Audet, Partner at Forbion, and Aneta Sottil, Director at Andera Partners will join Dualyx’s Board as non-executive directors.
Dualyx’s lead program DT-001 targets the highly attractive TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2), widely regarded as a master control switch in immune modulation. Through state-of-the-art antibody development, Dualyx has developed an agonist to the receptor which shows highly selective activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs).
To date, promising results have been observed from pre-clinical research with DT-001 and investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies have begun. DT-001 holds promise to be a game-changing treatment option for a broad range of autoimmune diseases. The funds will be used to progress Dualyx’s DT-001 program into its early clinical proof-of-concept phase. The company has a pipeline of additional Treg focused programs in early-stage development.
Alongside the financing, Bernard Coulie, CEO of Pliant Therapeutics, joins the company as Independent Chairman with immediate effect. Bernard brings with him a wealth of experience in founding and leading successful biotech companies.
“It’s clear to me that TNFR2 is a validated and exciting target for autoimmune therapies, and I am confident that Dualyx has all the ingredients for success with its lead program. I’m therefore delighted to join the Board as Chairman while Dualyx heads towards the clinic,” commented Bernard Coulie, Independent Chairman of Dualyx. “I look forward to working closely with Wouter, Luc and the rest of the Dualyx management team over the coming years.”
“Attracting the expertise and support of top tier investors to Dualyx highlights the potential of the work to date in our DT-001 program and more importantly, completes our high-quality international investor base. We extend a warm welcome to Bernard as Chairman and I am confident that the combined support of our new board will enable progress with our highly promising TNFR2 program, and ultimately our goal of addressing hard-to-treat autoimmune diseases,” added Wouter Verhoeven, CEO of Dualyx.
Dualyx was founded two years ago by CSO Luc Van Rompaey, in a collaborative model with Wurzburg University, Argenx, VIB, Ghent University and KU Leuven. The company has been supported to date by a EUR 7 million seed round from V-Bio Ventures, BGV, PMV, VIB, HTGF, and GFF.
Dualyx is a Ghent-based biotech company dedicated to the development of novel Treg based therapies to address the needs of patients with difficult-to-treat autoimmune diseases. The company was founded in 2020 by Luc van Rompaey in a collaborative model with Wurzburg University, Argenx, VIB, Ghent University and KU Leuven. Dualyx has developed a pipeline of highly promising immune modulating programs including DT-001, an antibody agonist program targeting the TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) which is currently in IND-enabling studies. TNFR2 is widely regarded as a master control switch in for immunosuppression, making it highly attractive for Treg therapies. Dualyx also has a pipeline of additional Treg programs in early development. Dualyx is backed by a group of well-respected investors including: Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion, Andera Partners, V-Bio Ventures, BGV, PMV, VIB, HTGF and GFF.
V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialised in building and financing young, innovative life science companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors. V-Bio Ventures’ cornerstone investor is the European Investment Fund (EIF). EIF’s contribution is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe.
Ghent, Belgium – March 2, 2023 – Confo Therapeutics, a leader in the discovery of medicines targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced a worldwide licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company for Confo’s clinical stage CFTX-1554 and back-up compounds.
CFTX-1554, a novel inhibitor of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) currently in Phase 1 clinical development, represents a non-opioid approach to treating neuropathic pain, a devastating condition caused by damage to the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, and potentially additional peripheral pain indications. Current treatment methods are often insufficiently effective and can lead to serious side effects including addiction. Patients suffering from peripheral pain are therefore in urgent need of effective analgesics that are well-tolerated and do not impact quality of life.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will continue the clinical development program beyond Phase 1. In addition, the agreement considers a program to further develop Confo’s existing therapeutic antibody candidates targeting the same receptor. Confo will receive a USD 40M upfront payment from Lilly as well as up to USD 590M in potential milestone payments per program and tiered royalties. Confo maintains a co-investment option to participate in the funding of future development programs after clinical proof-of-concept for additional royalties.
“We are pleased that Lilly, an expert in chronic pain with a wealth of experience in bringing novel therapies to patients, has recognized Confo’s ability to develop best-in-class GPCR drug candidates,” said Cedric Ververken, CEO of Confo Therapeutics. “CFTX-1554’s progression through the clinic will benefit from Lilly’s experience and global organization, while we will continue to develop and expand our growing, innovative pipeline of GPCR-targeted assets, both small molecules and biologics.”
CFTX-1554 is Confo Therapeutics’ first product candidate in clinical development and is a non-opioid approach designed to address peripheral (neuropathic) pain while avoiding centrally mediated side effects, such as addiction and sedation. The compound is a novel inhibitor of angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R), a clinically precedented target for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Whereas previous compounds targeting AT2R have failed to reach market approval, CFTX-1554 is distinct in that it interacts more efficiently with the AT2R binding site, resulting in improved drug-like properties. CFTX-1554 is currently being examined in a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05260658).
Confo Therapeutics’ unparalleled technology stabilizes functional conformations of GPCRs (G-protein coupled receptors), thereby enabling the discovery of chemical or biological ligands that are conformationally selective. This platform combined with the pharmacologic and biologic insight it provides, allows Confo to build a multi-indication pipeline of drug candidates with the vision of transforming therapeutic outcomes for patients with severe illnesses lacking disease-modifying treatments. Confo Therapeutics was spun out of VIB-VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) in 2015. Supported by international life-science focused investors and led by an experienced team of entrepreneurial professionals and scientists from successful biopharmaceutical companies, Confo Therapeutics benefits from the rich scientific and innovative ecosystem in Belgium.
For more information, visit www.confotherapeutics.com
V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialised in building and financing young, innovative life science companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors. V-Bio Ventures’ cornerstone investor is the European Investment Fund (EIF). EIF’s contribution is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe.
Ghent, Belgium, 4 October 2022 – V-Bio Ventures announces the successful close of a EUR 23 million Series A financing round in Sibylla Biotech. The company is developing an innovative avenue for drug discovery by enabling the targeting of proteins while they are still folding. This paradigm shift in drug design opens the possibility of treating previously undruggable targets in a wide range of therapeutic areas.
Sibylla’s proprietary approach – Pharmacological Protein Inactivation by Folding Intermediate Targeting (PPI-FIT) – enables the design of small-molecule drugs called Folding Interfering Degraders (FIDs). These FIDs are a novel class of drugs capable of binding to folding intermediates, a breakthrough for diseases where the native proteins currently aren’t targetable. To identify these intermediate structures, the company has developed an algorithm to simulate protein folding and identify potential binding pockets for FIDs. The Series A funding will help Sibylla to further develop its technology, expand its therapeutic pipeline, and advance at least one program through preclinical and IND-enabling studies.
Lead investor V-Bio Ventures is joined by an international syndicate of specialized life sciences investors, with participation from Seroba Life Sciences, 3B Future Health, Claris Ventures, CDP Venture Capital, VI Partners, Indaco Venture Partners, as well as the company’s seed investor, Vertis SGR. With the Series A close, Sibylla’s board will include Ward Capoen from V-Bio Ventures, Bruno Montanari from Seroba, Ciro Spedaliere from Claris, and Marianne Bjordal from 3BFuture Health.
Lidia Pieri, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sibylla Biotech: “Sibylla Biotech is bringing a unique and highly differentiated approach to the protein degradation field opening up a range of targets previously considered undruggable. We have gained the support of a strong group of expert investors and the capital to advance a lead candidate through IND-enabling studies, expand our protein folding simulation technology platform and bring additional expertise to our team. I would like to thank all of Sibylla employees, founders and supporters for enabling our achievements so far.”
Ward Capoen, Partner at V-Bio Ventures: “Sibylla’s novel approach has already demonstrated that it can unlock a new category of targets with the potential to translate these into a robust pipeline of small molecule candidates for an unlimited range of indications. We are excited to support Sibylla Biotech’s vision to transform the protein degradation landscape.”
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Sibylla is disrupting the protein degradation landscape by applying a novel mechanism of action that interferes with protein folding and thereby suppresses the expression of a disease-relevant protein. Through their protein folding simulation technology platform, Sibylla identifies relevant and previously unexplorable folding intermediates for protein targets that are currently considered undruggable in their native state. The company is developing a proprietary pipeline of small molecule folding interfering degraders (FIDs) that can address a range of therapeutic areas.
Sibylla Biotech was established as a spin-off company based on a multidisciplinary scientific collaboration between the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics, the University of Trento and the University of Perugia, which together co-funded the collaboration with the Telethon Foundation ETS. Vertis SGR funded the breakthrough discovery technology resulting from the collaboration, enabling the initial validation of Sibylla’s technology. https://www.sibyllabiotech.it/
V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors. https://v-bio.ventures