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Apr 07
Love0

Amphista Therapeutics raises $7.5m Series A round to advance targeted protein degradation assets in cancer

By Amphista Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

April 7, 2020

  • Amphista’s potent bifunctional small molecules augment targeted protein degradation
  • Investors include Advent Life Sciences, the Scottish Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund and US-based BioMotiv

Glasgow, Scotland, 7 April 2020 – Amphista Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company creating first-in-class cancer therapeutics that harness the body’s natural processes to selectively and efficiently degrade and remove disease causing proteins, today announced the closing of a USD $7.5m Series A round, led by Advent Life Sciences. Seed round funders the Scottish Investment Bank, with backing from the Scottish Growth Scheme, and the European Investment Fund joined the round, along with new investor, US-based life sciences BioMotiv.

Amphista’s CEO Nicola Thompson said,

“This international financing provides Amphista with a firm foundation to underpin a Series B round to progress our oncology pipeline to the clinic. Our vision is to create a leading protein degradation company on the global stage that delivers ground-breaking new medicines to patients in areas of high unmet need.”

Raj Parekh, General Partner at lead investor Advent Life Sciences said,

“We are excited to support Amphista in its next stage of development. The Company has a potentially unique approach to targeted protein degradation when compared with traditional proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC®) platforms. We believe that Amphista has great potential with its differentiated proprietary technology to address traditionally undruggable targets.”

Satish Jindal, CEO of BioMotiv, and newly appointed Amphista Chairman, commented,

“We are a mission-driven accelerator, and we are excited by Amphista’s focus to rapidly produce potent bifunctional small molecules to augment the body’s own processes to remove disease-associated proteins. We see huge potential to accelerate Amphista’s breakthrough technology platform into medicines.”

Amphista’s scientific founder, Professor Alessio Ciulli, based at the University of Dundee, is an internationally renowned expert in the field of targeted protein degradation (TPD).

“Highly specific TPD is a transformative new modality for tackling previously undruggable targets with high therapeutic value.”

said Ciulli.

Amphista’s TPD small molecules instruct the cell to degrade the target directly rather than activating or inhibiting the target protein function. As protein-protein interactions are involved in disease progression, removing the target protein provides a clear therapeutic advantage over simple inhibition. Specifically, Amphista’s platform is independent of traditional E3 ubiquitin ligases used by the field, potentially expanding the available target scope of TPD approaches and should overcome recently identified PROTAC® resistance mechanisms.

Media contacts:

Amphista Therapeutics
CEO NicolaThompson
+447464974714
nicki@amphista.com

Scius Communications
Katja Stout
+447789435990
katja@sciuscommunications.com

About Amphista Therapeutics
Amphista Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company creating first-in-class therapeutics that help harness the body’s natural processes to selectively and efficiently degrade and remove disease causing proteins. The company’s pipeline of novel small molecules that cause targeted protein degradation (TPD) is focused on challenging diseases including cancer. Amphista is a spinout of renowned TPD expert Professor Alessio Ciulli’s labs at the University of Dundee, and is based in BioCity Glasgow, Scotland. The company is funded by leading life science investors including Advent Life Sciences, the European Investment Fund, the Scottish Investment Bank, and BioMotiv. For more information, visit http://www.amphista.com/.

About Advent Life Sciences
Advent Life Sciences founds and invests in early- and mid-stage life sciences companies that have a first- or best-in-class approach to unmet medical needs. The investing team consists of experienced professionals, each with extensive scientific, medical and operational experience, a long-standing record of entrepreneurial and investment success in the US and Europe and is particularly focused on supporting entrepreneurs and founders to take innovative new medical entities from concept to approval. The firm invests in a range of sectors within life sciences, principally drug discovery, enabling technologies and med tech, always with an emphasis on innovative, paradigm-changing approaches. Advent Life Sciences has a presence in the UK, US and France. For more information, please visit AdventLS.com.

About the Scottish Investment Bank
The Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) is the investment arm of Scotland’s national economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise, operating Scotland-wide in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

SIB’s activities support Scotland’s SME funding market to ensure businesses with growth and export potential have adequate access to growth capital and loan funding. It helps ambitious Scottish companies get the right level of funding from the right sources at the right time, through building relationships with both domestic and international investors.

SIB manages a suite of co-investment funds including the Scottish Co-Investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund and the Energy Investment Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. SIB is also an investor in Epidarex Capital’s Life Sciences Fund and administers the Scottish Loan Scheme, with funding secured from the Scottish Government’s Scottish Growth Scheme.

Furthermore, SIB provides funding into LendingCrowd, Scotland’s marketplace lender providing loans to SMEs, and Maven’s Regional Buyout Fund (MBO) that offers financial support for management buyouts (MBOs) and helps existing management teams acquire businesses from their owners so they can continue to flourish.

SIB’s team of financial readiness specialists help companies prepare for new investment and access appropriate finance.

About BioMotiv
https://www.biomotiv.com
BioMotiv is a mission-driven accelerator associated with The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, a $340 million initiative focused on advancing early stage breakthrough discoveries from research institutions into medicines. Led by a highly accomplished and passionate team of veteran biopharma experts, BioMotiv’s innovative model efficiently aligns resources and capital to select, fund, manage and advance a portfolio of drug development programs.

Feb 18
Love0

New company takes aim at treatments for multiple sclerosis

By Pheno Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Novel treatments that may reverse the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) will be investigated by a new drug-discovery company spun out from the University of Edinburgh.

Backed by Series A funding of £5 million over its first three years, Pheno Therapeutics will search for new drugs that aim to repair damage to the nervous system and significantly improve patients’ debilitating symptoms.

Building on original research by Professors Siddharthan Chandran and Neil Carragher of the University of Edinburgh, the company aims to develop new therapies for MS by identifying novel molecules that cause the body to repair or replace the damaged myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells.

This so-called remyelination process has the potential to slow or arrest the progressive disability caused by MS.

Pheno Therapeutics is supported by Advent Life Sciences, the London-based venture capital firm; the Scottish Investment Bank, with backing from the Scottish Government through the Scottish Growth Scheme; and independent medical research charity LifeArc. Together they have committed to invest £5 million over three years, subject to the company meeting certain milestone conditions.

Pheno Therapeutics co-founder Professor Siddharthan Chandran said:

“There are no interventions for people with later stage multiple sclerosis, which is a devastating and debilitating condition. The opportunity for this company is to bring new and repurposed therapeutics to clinical trials and, by doing so, meet an urgent and currently unmet need.”

Key to the company’s potential impact in MS treatments is the University’s advanced cell based technology platform, which enables the screening of large compound libraries on novel human cellular platforms, in addition to the founders’ and investors’ combination of clinical and drug discovery expertise.

Pheno Therapeutics intends to optimise the leads emerging from its cutting edge phenotypic screens via medicinal chemistry to deliver new candidate compounds that will progress through pre-clinical tests then proof-of-concept clinical trials.

MS affects more than 100,000 people in the UK and 2.5 million worldwide. Targeting the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord, the disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the protective layer surrounding nerve cells called the myelin sheath, slowing or disrupting the electrical signals travelling along the nerves.

It causes a wide range of symptoms including problems with movement, vision, sensation and balance.

Current treatments mainly focus on the immune system aspects of the disease and reduce the severity and frequency of relapses. There is a significant medical need for novel neuroprotective agents that halt the disease progression and prevent long-term disability.

Pheno Therapeutics is a spinout company from the University of Edinburgh founded by Professors Chandran and Carragher, Advent Life Sciences and Dr Jon Moore, Operating Partner at Advent Life Sciences.

The formation of Pheno Therapeutics has been supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service, which helped bring together the scientific and clinical expertise in partnership with Advent Life Sciences to launch the company.

Dr George Baxter, CEO of Edinburgh Innovations, said:

“I’m delighted to see this company launch with the support of such credible investors.

“Everyone involved is focused on driving the science forward, and we look forward to supporting the team as momentum continues to build, ultimately offering the promise of new treatments.”

Dr David Holbrook, head of LifeArc’s Seed Fund, said:

“At the Seed Fund, we look to use our translational expertise to invest in enterprises with a sound scientific concept and the potential to lead to new interventions that address patient needs.

“In the founders of Pheno Therapeutics and their research to induce myelin repair, we saw an appealing opportunity, particularly given the existing clinical needs in progressive MS. We are delighted to have reached an agreement to support Pheno Therapeutics translate their discoveries.”

ENDS

Notes
Image shows Professor Siddharthan Chandran of the University of Edinburgh, co-founder of Pheno Therapeutics.

Contact:
Gareth Overton
Communications Manager
Edinburgh Innovations
The University of Edinburgh
+44 (0)131 651 3426
+44 (0)7772 396 552
garethoverton@ei.ed.ac.uk

About Pheno Therapeutics
Pheno Therapeutics is an early stage biotechnology company focussed on the identification of novel neuroprotective therapies for multiple sclerosis. The company builds on the University of Edinburgh’s world-class research in phenotypic screening, stem cell biology and myelin biology. We will apply cutting edge drug discovery approaches to probe the pathways that can impact remyelination, selecting leads that will be developed into drugs and tested in early stage clinical trials.
https://www.phenotherapeutics.com/

About LifeArc
LifeArc is a self-funded medical research charity. Our mission is to advance translation of early science into health care treatments or diagnostics that can be taken through to full development and made available to patients. We have been doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance and four licensed medicines. Our success allows us to explore new approaches to stimulate and fund translation. We have our own drug discovery and diagnostics development facilities, supported by experts in technology transfer and intellectual property who also provide services to other organisations. Our model is built on collaboration, and we partner with a broad range of groups including medical research charities, research organisations, industry and academic scientists. We are motivated by patient need and scientific opportunity. Two funds help us to invest in external projects for the benefit of patients: our Philanthropic Fund provides grants to support medical research projects focused on the translation of rare diseases research and our Seed Fund is aimed at start-up companies focussed on developing new therapeutics and biological modalities.
Find out more about our work on www.lifearc.org or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Advent Life Sciences
Advent Life Sciences founds and invests in early- and mid-stage life sciences companies that have a first- or best-in-class approach to unmet medical needs. The investing team consists of experienced professionals, each with extensive scientific, medical and operational experience, a long-standing record of entrepreneurial and investment success in the US and Europe and is particularly focused on supporting entrepreneurs and founders to take innovative new medical entities from concept to approval. The firm invests in a range of sectors within life sciences, principally drug discovery, enabling technologies and med tech, always with an emphasis on innovative, paradigm-changing approaches. Advent Life Sciences has a presence in the UK, US and France.  For more information, please visit AdventLS.com

About Edinburgh Innovations
Edinburgh Innovations is the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service. EI leads the University’s activities in industry engagement and business development, enterprise support for students and staff, and the identification, management and commercialisation of University intellectual property. EI also manages Old College Capital, the University’s venture fund.
https://edinburgh-innovations.ed.ac.uk

About the Scottish Investment Bank
The Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) is the investment arm of Scotland’s national economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise, operating Scotland-wide in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

SIB’s activities support Scotland’s SME funding market to ensure businesses with growth and export potential have adequate access to growth capital and loan funding. It helps ambitious Scottish companies get the right level of funding from the right sources at the right time, through building relationships with both domestic and international investors.

SIB manages a suite of co-investment funds including the Scottish Co-Investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund and the Energy Investment Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. SIB is also an investor in Epidarex Capital’s Life Sciences Fund and administers the Scottish Loan Scheme, with funding secured from the Scottish Government’s Scottish Growth Scheme.

Furthermore, SIB provides funding into LendingCrowd, Scotland’s marketplace lender providing loans to SMEs, and Maven’s Regional Buyout Fund (MBO) that offers financial support for management buyouts (MBOs) and helps existing management teams acquire businesses from their owners so they can continue to flourish.

SIB’s team of financial readiness specialists help companies prepare for new investment and access appropriate finance.

Nov 11
Love0

F2G Receives US FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Olorofim

By F2G, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

MANCHESTER, UK / VIENNA, Austria – November 11, 2019 – F2G Ltd, a UK- and Austria-based biotech company developing novel therapies for life-threatening systemic fungal infections, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to its lead first-in-class candidate, olorofim (formerly F901318) for the indication of ‘Treatment of invasive mold infections in patients with limited or no treatment options, including aspergillosis refractory or intolerant to currently available therapy, and infections due to Lomentospora prolificans, Scedosporium, and Scopulariopsis species’. Olorofim is the first antifungal agent to be granted Breakthrough Therapy designation.

Olorofim is currently being investigated in an open-label single-arm Phase 2b study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03583164) in patients with proven invasive fungal disease (IFD) or probable invasive aspergillosis (IA) and either refractory disease, resistance, or intolerance to available agents. Olorofim has been well tolerated across more than 10 years of patient dosing days with a median therapy duration of 12 weeks. Preliminary data from this study were provided to the FDA as part of the Breakthrough Therapy designation submission.

Breakthrough Therapy designation is an FDA process designed to expedite the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and is granted based on preliminary clinical evidence indicating that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints.

Breakthrough Therapy designation conveys all the features of fast track designation, more intensive FDA guidance on an efficient drug development program, an organisational commitment by FDA to involve senior managers, and eligibility for rolling review and priority review.

Commenting on the news, Ian Nicholson, CEO of F2G Ltd, said:

“The granting of FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation is a truly transformational step for our company and will support our goal of rapidly developing this novel treatment for patients suffering from serious and life-threatening fungal infections. Olorofim acts via a novel and differentiated mechanism to traditional antifungals, and preliminary data have indicated that it is efficacious in tackling life-threatening invasive fungal infections that cannot be managed with currently approved agents.

“Our Phase 2b programme is on track with over 40 patients recruited in Europe, Australia and the US. We look forward to working closely with the FDA to accelerate development of this therapy for patients having limited or no approved treatment options for an invasive mold infection.”

Professor Sharon Chen, Westmead Hospital Sydney and Principal Investigator for the Phase 2b study said:

“This news is very exciting for clinicians caring for patients with these very serious, and devastating mold infections. We have had limited treatment options for many years and now the news about olorofim brings realistic hope that we can cure these previously treatment–refractory infections.”

Contact:
F2G Ltd
Ian Nicholson | Chief Executive Officer
Ralf Schmid | Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +44 (0)161 785 1271 (UK) / +43 (0)1 997 4267 (A)

Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark / Supriya Mathur / Charlotte Hepburne-Scott
Email: F2G@optimumcomms.com
Tel: +44 (0) 203 950 9144

Notes to Editors:

About Olorofim / Clinical trial
The Phase 2b study for olorofim (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03583164) is a global open-label study in patients who have limited treatment options for difficult-to-treat invasive fungal mold infections such as azole-resistant aspergillosis, scedosporiosis, lomentosporiosis, and other rare mold infections. 26 centres are currently open in six countries (AU, BE, ES, NL, USA, IS) and a further 20 will open in 2019/2020. Olorofim is being developed both as IV and oral formulations.

About F2G
F2G is a world-leading UK- and Austria-based biotech company (F2G Ltd and F2G Biotech GmbH) focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies to treat life-threatening invasive fungal infections. F2G has discovered and developed a completely new class of antifungal agents called the orotomides. The orotomides selectively target fungal dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a key enzyme in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. This is a completely different mechanism from that of the currently marketed antifungal agents and gives the orotomides fungicidal activity against a broad range of rare and resistant fungal mold infections. Olorofim (formerly, F901318) is F2G’s leading candidate from this class and is in a Phase 2b open-label study focussing on rare and resistant invasive fungal infections such as aspergillosis (including azole-resistant strains), scedosporiosis (including lomentosporiosis). Olorofim has received orphan drug status from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and invasive scedosporiosis. Olorofim is being developed both as IV and oral formulations. www.f2g.com

Apr 18
Love0

Arrakis Therapeutics Announces $75 Million Series B Financing To Advance a New Class of Small-Molecule Medicines Targeting RNA

By Arrakis Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

April 18, 2019

Michael Gilman, Ph.D., to expand role to full-time CEO to lead company to clinical stage
Having established first-in-industry RNA-targeted Small Molecule (rSM) platform, Arrakis will focus pipeline in oncology and genetically validated targets in other diseases
Financing led by venBio Partners and Nextech Invest

Waltham, Mass., April 18, 2019 – Arrakis Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery of a new class of small-molecule medicines that directly target RNA, has completed a $75 million Series B financing co-led by venBio Partners and Nextech Invest, with participation by new investors Omega Funds, HBM Healthcare Investments, GV (formerly Google Ventures), WuXi AppTec Venture Fund, and Alexandria Venture Investments, as well as all existing investors, Canaan Partners, Advent Life Sciences, Pfizer Ventures, Celgene Corporation, Osage University Partners and the estate of Henri Termeer. In addition, the company announced that Michael Gilman, Ph.D., will expand his role to full-time Chief Executive Officer in addition to continuing to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

“With this financing and outstanding syndicate of investors, Arrakis will leap to the next stage of realizing our vision of creating a new class of medicines with RNA-targeted small molecules, or rSMs,”

said Dr. Gilman.

“We have built an end-to-end platform for the discovery of rSMs by creating or adapting tools that allow us to predict and validate the structure of RNA targets, locate druggable pockets, identify drug-like hits, and conduct medicinal chemistry programs to improve potency, selectivity, and safety. We are now operating this platform at scale to create a pipeline of utterly novel rSM medicines. I am excited to commit my full effort, along with the Arrakis team and our investors, to drive our discoveries into powerful new medicines for patients.”

The proceeds from the Series B financing will enable Arrakis to build a pipeline of novel RNA‑targeted small molecules, with the goal of reaching clinical testing with one or more candidates. The company will focus its internal drug development in oncology and genetically validated targets in other disease areas. In addition, the funding will enable Arrakis to continue to refine and expand its first-in-industry rSM discovery platform, including a high-throughput, comprehensive suite of computational tools, biophysical and cellular assays, and chemical libraries that are uniquely designed to create new small-molecule drugs for RNA targets.

“Arrakis Therapeutics is the clear leader in the emerging rSM field. We are pleased to support their differentiated strategy to transform the drug discovery toolkit to focus on RNA and open hundreds of important new targets to therapeutic intervention. Arrakis’ deeply experienced team is uniquely qualified to execute this strategy,”

said Richard Gaster, M.D., Ph.D., Principal at venBio Partners.

“The demand for more effective and better tolerated cancer drugs is high, creating the biggest and fastest growing market in healthcare. RNA is now a validated therapeutic target, and drugging RNA with conventional small-molecule medicines can provide cancer patients with options not achievable by any other means,”

said Jakob Loven, Ph.D., Partner at Nextech Invest.

In conjunction with the Series B financing, Dr. Gaster and Dr. Loven will join the Arrakis Board of Directors.

In its next stage of growth, Arrakis will employ its proprietary rSM drug discovery platform to discover novel RNA-targeted small molecules and advance lead candidates toward clinical testing. Since the company’s inception, Arrakis has systematically reconfigured drug discovery tools for RNA targets and achieved the following:

A systematic approach to identify and validate druggable RNA targets, enabling the company to target multiple aspects of RNA biology; these approaches include:

  • in silico tools to identify druggable RNA targets at scale;
  • high-throughput molecular biology tools to validate these targets.

Multiple screening methods for identifying tractable targets and chemical matter, including:

  • screening of hundreds of targets to date;
  • identification of druggable RNA binding pockets;
  • deriving the principles of molecular recognition of RNA.

Advancement of rSM drug programs against novel RNA targets and with strong intellectual property, including:

  • launch of four programs against RNA targets that encode proteins that are otherwise undruggable;
  • chemical biology tools to elucidate the mechanism of action and selectivity of drug candidates;
  • an intellectual property estate comprising new methods, compounds and targets.

About Arrakis Therapeutics
Arrakis Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery of a new class of medicines that directly target RNA. The company has developed a proprietary platform to identify new RNA targets and drug candidates to treat diseases unaddressed by today’s medicines. Arrakis is building a proprietary pipeline of RNA-targeted small molecules (rSMs) focused on cancer and genetically validated targets in other disease areas. The company brings together scientific leaders in RNA structure, chemistry and biology, along with a highly experienced management team and the backing of leading life sciences investors. The company is located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Please visit www.arrakistx.com.

Apr 08
Love0

F2G appoints Dr Patrick Vink as Chairman

By F2G, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Brings successful track record of building and growing global businesses

MANCHESTER, UK & VIENNA, AUSTRIA – 8 April 2019 – F2G Ltd, the European biotech company developing novel therapies for life-threatening fungal infections, today announces the appointment of Dr Patrick Vink as Chairman of the Board of Directors with immediate effect. Dr Vink replaces Dr Richard J. White who stood down in December 2018.

Dr Vink has over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry and has a successful track record of building and growing global pharmaceutical businesses.  He was previously Chief Operating Officer at Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc, with responsibility for global commercial operations, and the development and implementation of long- and short-term strategy. During his term, Cubist was acquired by Merck & Co.  Prior to Cubist, he was Head of the Global Hospital Business at Mylan Inc. as part of the global executive team. Before this, he was Head of Global Biopharmaceuticals at Sandoz (division of Novartis) and held senior positions at Biogen Inc Sanofi-Synthelabo, and Numico.

Dr Vink is currently on the board of several US and European publicly listed and private companies including Chairman of Acacia Pharma, Targovax and NMD Pharma and non-executive director of Spero Therapeutics, Arch Biopartners and Santhera AG. Dr Vink has an MD from the University of Leiden and an MBA from University of Rochester. He has attended a number of executive post-graduate courses at Insead and Harvard.

Ian Nicholson, CEO of F2G Ltd, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Patrick to the Board. During his career, he has been responsible for several successful new product launches and held senior roles overseeing R&D, commercial and technical operations. His breadth and depth of experience will be invaluable as we accelerate the development of our lead candidate olorofim as a treatment for rare invasive fungal infections. On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to thank Richard for his dedication, commitment and steadfast leadership during the evolution of F2G from discovery to late stage clinical development.”

Dr Patrick Vink, Chairman of F2G, added:

“I am very pleased to join as Chairman and look forward to working closely with the team. F2G’s highly experienced management team and board, backed by renowned and committed investors, will enable the company to drive forward the development of these novel antifungals which have the potential to make a real impact to patients with life-threatening fungal diseases.”

F2G recently raised funding from life science investor Morningside Venture Investments Ltd and received a EUR 24 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Ian Nicholson, CEO and Ralf Schmid, CFO will be attending and presenting at the 18th Annual Needham Healthcare Conference at 10:40am EDT on April 10, 2019 in New York.

For further information please contact:

F2G Ltd
Ian Nicholson | Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44 (0)161 785 1271
Ralf Schmid | Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +43 (0)1 997 4267 (Austria)

Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark / Supriya Mathur / Ellie Blackwell
Email: F2G@optimumcomms.com
Tel: +44 (0) 203 950 9144

Notes to Editors

About F2G

F2G is a world leading European biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies to treat life-threatening invasive fungal infections. F2G has discovered and developed a completely new class of antifungal agents called the orotomides. The orotomides target dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a key enzyme in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. This is a completely different mechanism from that of the currently marketed antifungal agents and gives the orotomides fungicidal activity against a broad range of rare and resistant fungal mould infections. Olorofim (formerly, F901318) is F2G’s leading candidate from this class and is in a Phase 2b open-label study focussing on rare and resistant invasive fungal infections such as aspergillosis (including azole-resistant strains), scedosporiosis, and lomentosporiosis. Olorofim is being developed both as IV and oral formulations. www.f2g.com

Sep 27
Love0

KaNDy Therapeutics launched to advance a breakthrough treatment in Women’s Health

By F2G, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

KaNDy Therapeutics launched to advance a breakthrough treatment in Women’s Health

Press Release:
KaNDy Therapeutics launched to advance a breakthrough treatment in Women’s Health

First-in-class once daily NT-814 spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics into new company

Stevenage, UK, September 27th 2017 – KaNDy Therapeutics has been launched today to maximise the value of NT-814, a potential breakthrough medicine for the treatment of chronic debilitating Women’s Health conditions and is backed by internationally recognised life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners and OrbiMed Advisors.

NT-814 is a first-in-class, once daily, dual mechanism neurokinin-1,3 receptor antagonist. The medicine is being developed as a non-hormonal alternative to hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms (PMVMS). NT-814 has been spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics Holdings Ltd into KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd a separate legal entity.

KaNDy Therapeutics will advance the development of NT-814 into Phase 2b in the lead indication PMVMS while also exploring its potential in other Women’s Health conditions. All formulation, pre-clinical and clinical safety and efficacy data, and intellectual property associated with NT-814 have been transferred to the new company. KaNDy Therapeutics is led by Managing Director Mary Kerr and chaired by Iain Dukes, Venture Partner at OrbiMed Advisors. The company is based at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst in the UK.

NT-814 has significant potential to treat multiple debilitating Women’s Health conditions by virtue of the ability to beneficially modulate dysfunctional temperature control and reproductive hormone pathways. NT-814 has already successfully completed a Phase 2a proof of concept study demonstrating its potential to reduce the frequency and severity of PMVMS, and is now being prepared to enter an international Phase 2b study in this anchor indication.

Iain Dukes, Chairman of KaNDy Therapeutics, said, “The formation of KaNDy Therapeutics enables us to maximise the potential of NT-814 in a range of debilitating Women’s Health conditions. We believe NT-814 is one of the few true innovations in Women’s Health in more than two decades and potentially represents a major breakthrough in areas of significant unmet medical need such as PMVMS. Mary has built up an excellent team who have made substantial progress with NT-814 and we’re looking forward to advancing this exciting new product into a Phase 2b programme.”

Professor Richard Anderson, Clinical Adviser, University of Edinburgh, commented, “For many women, menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes are debilitating and long-lasting, and can have a major impact on quality of life. As a potential once daily alternative to HRT without the issues surrounding hormone replacement, NT-814 could bring them considerable relief.”

–ENDS–

 

For further information, please contact:

Mary Kerr, Managing Director of KaNDy Therapeutics

Tel:  +44 1438 906960
Email: info@kandytherapeutics.com

Notes for editors

About KaNDy Therapeutics
KaNDy Therapeutics is a UK based clinical-stage company focused on optimizing the potential of its unique NK-1,3 receptor antagonist NT-814 in the treatment of common, chronic debilitating female sex-hormone related conditions. NT-814 is in development initially as a non-hormonal therapy to treat moderate to severe post-menopausal vasomotor symptoms (PMVMS)).

PMVMS affect up to 75% of peri-menopausal women. Symptoms last for 1–2 years after menopause in most women, but may continue for up to 10 years or longer in others. Approximately 20% of women will have debilitating symptoms. Hot flashes are the primary reason women seek medical care at menopause. Hot flashes not only disturb women at work and interrupt daily activities, but also have a detrimental effect on sleep. Post-menopausal vasomotor symptoms are experienced by millions of women globally on a daily basis.

The company is led by an experienced management team including Dr Mary Kerr (Managing Director), formerly SVP and Global Franchise lead at GSK and Dr Mike Trower (CSO/COO), formerly VP & Head of the External Drug Discovery Group in the Neurosciences CEDD at GSK and Dr Steve Pawsey (CMO) formerly at Circassia and Vernalis.

KaNDy Therapeutics was spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics in September 2017, and is backed by internationally recognised life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners and OrbiMed Advisors. KaNDy Therapeutics is based at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. You can find more information about KaNDy Therapeutics at www.kandytherapeutics.com.

Sep 27
Love0

NeRRe Therapeutics appoints Andrew Kay as Chairman of the Board

By NeRRe Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Extensive development & commercial expertise to guide company growth

Stevenage, UK, 27th September 2017 – NeRRe Therapeutics, which is developing a unique portfolio of neurokinin (NK)-1 receptor antagonists for the treatment of common debilitating conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity, has appointed Andrew Kay as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Kay, who has extensive product development and commercial experience across the pharma and biotechnology sectors, takes over from Dr Kaasim Mahmood of Advent, who remains on the Board. Following the demerger of KaNDy Therapeutics, announced today, NeRRe Therapeutics is primarily focused on its lead product orvepitant, which is in a multinational Phase IIb trial for chronic refractory cough.

Mr Kay has worked in the biotechnology sector as CEO of Algeta ASA, which was sold to Bayer for $2.9bn in 2014, and as Chief Commercial Officer and a Board Director of Renovo. He started his industry career in the pharmaceutical sector, working in international roles at Novartis, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly, following a BPharm Hons degree from Nottingham University School of Pharmacy. Other current roles include Chairman of Blueberry Therapeutics, Chairman of Wilson Therapeutics and Senior Advisor to HealthCap VC. Mr Kay has also been appointed an adviser to KaNDy Therapeutics.

Dr Mary Kerr, CEO of NeRRe Therapeutics, said,

“With his broad experience, Andrew’s appointment as Chairman will bring tremendous value to the company as we advance orvepitant towards late-stage clinical development and commercialisation. NeRRe Therapeutics would also like to thank Kaasim for his guidance and we are pleased that he remains on the Board as Advent’s representative.”

Andrew Kay, Chairman of NeRRe Therapeutics, said,

“With its focus on conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity related to neurokinin-1 receptor system dysfunction, the company has the opportunity to make a real difference in areas of unmet medical need such as chronic refractory cough. These are debilitating conditions for thousands of patients worldwide, and I am looking forward to helping NeRRe Therapeutics develop further.”

–ENDS–

A photograph of Andrew Kay is available on request

Notes to Editors

About NeRRe Therapeutics (www.nerretherapeutics.com)

NeRRe Therapeutics is a private UK based clinical-stage company developing a unique pipeline of three neurokinin (NK)-1 antagonists for the treatment of common, chronic and debilitating conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity associated with neurokinin-1 receptor system dysfunction. Its portfolio is tackling a range of disorders with high unmet need including chronic refractory cough and chronic pruritus. The company is led by an experienced management team including Dr Mary Kerr (CEO), formerly SVP and Global Franchise lead at GSK and Dr Mike Trower (Co-founder, CSO/COO), formerly VP & Head of the External Drug Discovery Group in the Neurosciences CEDD at GSK.

NeRRe Therapeutics was founded in 2012 as a spin out from GSK.  Since it was founded, it has raised £31.5 million and is backed by leading international life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners, OrbiMed, Novo A/S, and by GSK. KaNDy Therapeutics was spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics in September 2017. NeRRe Therapeutics is based at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.  You can find more information about NeRRe Therapeutics at www.nerretherapeutics.com.

For more information, please contact:

Mary Kerr, CEO of NeRRe Therapeutics
Tel:  +44 1438 906960
Email: info@nerretherapeutics.com 

Mar 15
Love0

Moximed Closes Oversubscribed $50MM Financing Round

By Moximed, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Hayward, CA, USA, March 15, 2017 – Moximed®, Inc., developer of unicompartmental load absorber implants for active patients with painful knee osteoarthritis (OA), announced today an oversubscribed Series C round of $50MM with new investors Advent Life Sciences and Future Fund joining existing investors NEA, Morgenthaler Ventures, Gilde Healthcare, GBS Venture Partners, and Vertex Healthcare.  As part of the financing, Shahzad Malik, M.D., General Partner at Advent Life Sciences, and Brigitte Smith, Managing Director at GBS Venture Partners, will join the Board of Directors.

Moximed created the category of shock absorbing implants for knee OA, with treatment durability now established to nearly nine years on the initial patients. The Moximed implants do not require bone cutting or bone removal, and, importantly, they absorb excess joint load rather than shift load to other areas of the joint.  Moximed has fully enrolled its FDA pivotal clinical study of the KineSpring® System and is currently enrolling an FDA IDE clinical study of the Atlas® System.

“This financing round is timely, as we are completing the primary endpoint follow-up for our FDA pivotal study this month,”

said CEO Kevin Sidow.

“We expect this investment to fully fund the company through FDA approval and early US commercialization of our products.  There is a massive demand for new treatment options by patients who want to maintain an active lifestyle until they are ready for a knee replacement.  The tremendous patient interest and surgeon enthusiasm we are witnessing in our current Atlas IDE study is validating our effort to address this clinical need.”

“Patients between the ages of 35 and 65 years old represent the fastest growing segment of the knee OA population,” added Shahzad Malik, of Advent Life Sciences. “These patients are often considered too young for traditional joint replacement and are desperate for a treatment alternative.  We are excited to support Moximed’s effort to address this opportunity.”

Feb 27
Love0

Arrakis Therapeutics Announces $38M Series A Financing To Target RNA with Small-Molecule Medicines And Names Michael Gilman Chairman and CEO

By Arrakis Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Veteran management team to re-architect small molecule drug discovery to pursue new RNA targets within vast human transcriptome

Waltham, Mass., February 27, 2017 – Arrakis Therapeutics, a pioneering biopharmaceutical company, has completed a $38 million Series A financing led by Canaan Partners with participation by Advent Life Sciences, Pfizer Inc., Celgene Corporation, Osage University Partners, and biotech industry leader Henri Termeer.  The company has also named serial entrepreneur and biotech leader Michael Gilman, Ph.D., as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arrakis.

The proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to advance Arrakis’ proprietary discovery platforms, comprised of a high-throughput, comprehensive system of bioinformatics tools, assays and chemical libraries that can identify new ribonucleic acid (RNA) targets and create new small-molecule drugs. Using its TRYST™ and PEARL-seq™ platforms, Arrakis is developing an internal product pipeline of RNA-targeted small molecules focused on neurology, oncology, and rare genetic disorders. The basis of Arrakis’ unique approach is a proprietary chemical biology technology that interrogates structures of folded RNAs in their native state, within cells, to enable discovery and rational design of potent, selective small-molecule inhibitors of RNA function.

“RNA is the locus of most human biology, yet our current pharmacopeia is largely limited to protein targets,”

said Dr. Gilman.

“Arrakis intends to re-architect small molecule drug discovery by redirecting, modifying, and creating tools that enable medicinal chemistry to directly address therapeutically-important RNA molecules. Our substantial intellectual property, financial resources, and the extensive experience of our team in discovering and developing novel drugs will enable us to build a pipeline of new small-molecule therapeutics for patients not helped by today’s medicines.”

Targeting RNA with Small Molecules

The transcriptome encompasses all of the RNA transcribed from our genetic blueprint, including coding RNAs, which are translated into proteins, and noncoding RNAs, which regulate the fate and function of both coding RNAs and proteins. There are over 200,000 RNA transcripts in the human transcriptome – a vast pool of potential therapeutic targets. Yet today’s small-molecule medicines address approximately 500 protein targets in a small number of structural classes. Accessing the biology embodied by the rest of the transcriptome has required the development of new therapeutic modalities, such as oligonucleotide drugs and gene therapies, which are at the early stages of their clinical evolution. Arrakis intends to open RNA biology to medicines with the attractive and predictable pharmaceutical properties of small-molecule drugs, including oral bioavailability, broad biodistribution, and efficient cell penetration.

“The importance of targeting RNA in disease is well recognized,”

said Russell C. Petter, Ph.D., founder and CSO of Arrakis Therapeutics.

“But until now, targeting RNA with small-molecule compounds has been thought to be too challenging. Nevertheless, there are a number of precedents for conventional small molecules that bind and modulate RNA, including several approved drugs. These molecules were all discovered in functional screens, and only later did we learn that they acted on RNA. Our goal is to intentionally discover RNA-modulating small-molecule medicines. We believe that new developments in informatics, structural biology, and biophysical tools now make that possible.”

Colleen Cuffaro, Ph.D., principal at Canaan, who is joining the Arrakis board said,

“Arrakis is pursuing a fundamentally different approach to RNA targets. For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has invested billions of dollars to develop tools and techniques to create drugs for protein targets. Arrakis is building on this toolkit to create a platform to discover RNA-targeted drugs. In doing so, I believe Arrakis has the potential to create an entirely new class of medicines for patients with unmet need.”

Industry-leading Experts on Management Team and Board

Arrakis has assembled an executive team and board of directors comprised of industry veterans with established records of building successful biopharmaceutical companies.

The Arrakis senior management team is comprised of the following:

  • Michael Gilman, Ph.D., CEO and chairman of Arrakis; former founding CEO of Padlock Therapeutics and Stromedix, as well as executive roles at Biogen and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals
  • Russell C. Petter, Ph.D., founder and chief scientific officer of Arrakis; former executive roles at Celgene, Avila, Mersana, Biogen, and Sandoz/Novartis
  • Daniel Koerwer, chief business officer of Arrakis; former executive roles at BIND and Biogen
  • James Barsoum, Ph.D., senior vice president of biology of Arrakis; former executive roles at RANA, Synta, and Biogen

Raj Parekh, Ph.D., founder of Arrakis and general partner at Advent Life Sciences said, “Our investor syndicate is a collaborative team committed to supporting Arrakis’ pioneering approach, and providing the company theresources needed to bring transformative new drugs to patients.”

The Arrakis board of directors is comprised of the following:

  • Michael Gilman, Ph.D., CEO and chairman of Arrakis Therapeutics
  • Colleen Cuffaro, Ph.D., principal at Canaan Partners
  • Carolyn Green, executive director of strategic investments, External R&D Innovation, Pfizer Worldwide Research & Development
  • Raj Parekh, Ph.D., founder of Arrakis Therapeutics and general partner at Advent Life Sciences
  • Alan Walts, Ph.D., founder of Arrakis Therapeutics and venture partner at Advent Life Sciences

Observers on the Arrakis board of directors are Tim Shannon, M.D., general partner at Canaan Partners; Elaine Jones, Ph.D., VP of Pfizer Ventures; Peter Worland, Ph.D., VP Integrative Research Development at Celgene; and Matthew Cohen, Ph.D., principal at Osage University Partners.

About Arrakis Therapeutics

Arrakis Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery of a new class of medicines that directly target RNA. The company’s TRYST™ and PEARL-seq™ platforms identify new RNA targets and drug candidates to treat diseases unaddressed by today’s medicines. Arrakis is developing a proprietary pipeline of RNA-targeted small molecules focused on neurologic diseases, cancer, and rare genetic diseases.

Arrakis was founded in 2015 by Russell Petter, Ph.D., Alan Walts, Ph.D., Henri Termeer and Raj Parekh, Ph.D. with a vision to create a proprietary, transformational discovery platform that identifies small-molecule drugs that act directly on disease-causing RNA.  The company was established with seed funding provided by Advent Life Sciences and Henri Termeer.  The company brings together scientific leaders in RNA structure, chemistry and biology, along with a highly experienced management team and the backing of leading life sciences investors. The company is located in Waltham, Mass.  Please visit www.arrakistx.com.

About Advent Life Sciences

Advent Life Sciences founds and invests in early- and mid-stage life sciences companies that have a first- or best-in-class approach to unmet medical needs. The investing team consists of experienced professionals, each with extensive scientific, medical and operational experience, a long-standing record of entrepreneurial and investment success in the US and Europe, and is particularly focused on supporting entrepreneurs and founders to take innovative new medical entities from concept to approval. The firm invests in a range of sectors within life sciences, principally drug discovery, enabling technologies and med tech, always with an emphasis on innovative, paradigm-changing approaches. Advent Life Sciences has a presence in the UK, US and France.  For more information, please visit AdventLS.com.

About Canaan Partners

Canaan Partners is an early stage venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs with visionary ideas.  With $4.2 billion under management, a diversified fund and 190 exits to date, Canaan has invested in some of the world’s leading technology and health care companies over the past 30 years. Canaan’s focus areas include fin tech, enterprise/SaaS, marketplace, e-commerce, biopharma, digital health and medtech.  To learn more about our people and our portfolio, please visit canaan.com.

About Pfizer Inc.

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world’s best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world’s premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. For more information, please visit us at www.pfizer.com.

About Celgene Corporation

Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is an integrated global biopharmaceutical company engaged primarily in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases through next-generation solutions in protein homeostasis, immuno-oncology, epigenetics, immunology and neuro-inflammation. For more information, please visit www.celgene.com.

About Osage University Partners

Osage University Partners is a venture capital firm focused on investing in startups that are commercializing pioneering university technologies. Osage partners with top research universities to invest in their most innovative startups, and Osage shares its investment profit with its partner institutions. The firm invests in software, hardware, and life science companies at all stages of company development. Osage has partnered with over 80 universities, including 36 of the top 50 U.S. institutions by research expenditures, and has invested in over 60 of their spinouts. Osage University Partners is part of a family of investment funds within Osage Partners, which is based in Philadelphia, PA and manages in excess of $500 million. For more information, visit www.osageuniversitypartners.com.

Contact:
Kathryn Morris
The Yates Network
Tel:  845-635-9828
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com

Jan 05
Love0

NeRRe Therapeutics raises £23 million in oversubscribed Series B financing round

By NeRRe Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

New funds to advance unique neurokinin receptor antagonist pipeline towards late-stage clinical development in common, chronic and debilitating respiratory and women’s health conditions.

New investors Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners and OrbiMed join existing investors Advent Life Sciences and Novo A/S

Stevenage, UK, 5th January 2017 – NeRRe Therapeutics (‘NeRRe’), a clinical-stage company developing a unique portfolio of neurokinin (NK) receptor antagonists for the treatment of common, chronic and debilitating conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity, announced it has raised £23 million in an oversubscribed Series B financing round.

The funds will be used by NeRRe to generate Phase 2 data on orvepitant, its lead oral NK-1 antagonist candidate as a potential new treatment for a common, chronic respiratory condition; and to advance NT-814, a dual NK-1,3 antagonist, into Phase 2 trials as a potential non-hormonal treatment of distressing post-menopausal vasomotor symptoms.

The financing round involved a syndicate of leading transatlantic life sciences investors led by new investor Fountain Healthcare Partners, and co-led by Forbion Capital Partners and OrbiMed. Existing investors, Advent Life Sciences and Novo A/S also participated.

Dr Ena Prosser, Partner at Fountain Healthcare Partners; Geert-Jan Mulder MD, General Partner at Forbion Capital Partners; and Dr Iain Dukes, Venture Partner at OrbiMed will join Dr Kaasim Mahmood, General Partner at Advent Life Sciences (Chairman), Dr Mary Kerr, NeRRe’s CEO and Jo Craig, Vice-President GSK (Board Observer) on the NeRRe Board of Directors.

OrbiMed’s Iain Dukes, formerly Senior Vice President, Business Development & Licensing at Merck & Co., said:

“We have been impressed by NeRRe’s clear strategy, and are pleased to be involved in funding the company to deliver important Phase 2 clinical data on both of these exciting candidates. We look forward to supporting the company in achieving these aims.”

Mary Kerr, NeRRe’s CEO, said:

“NeRRe is delighted to have attracted such a substantial investment from these high profile life sciences investors. Now that we are fully funded to execute the next phase of development, everyone at the company is focused on moving orvepitant and NT-814 closer to the market for the alleviation of these common, chronic and debilitating conditions.”

*Biographies of the Board of Directors can be found at www.nerretherapeutics.com

Notes to Editors

About NeRRe Therapeutics (www.nerretherapeutics.com)

NeRRe Therapeutics is a private, UK-based clinical-stage company focused on the development of its unique portfolio of NK receptor antagonists for the treatment of common, chronic and debilitating conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity.

NeRRe Therapeutics was founded in 2012 as a spin out from GSK, which transferred its NK antagonist portfolio, including clinical data, toxicity, safety and formulation packages, and all associated IP to NeRRe. NeRRe is led by an experienced management team including Dr Mary Kerr (CEO), formerly SVP and Global Franchise lead at GSK and Dr Mike Trower (Co-founder, CSO/COO), formerly VP & Head of the External Drug Discovery Group in the Neurosciences CEDD at GSK.

NeRRe Therapeutics is backed by leading international life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners, OrbiMed, and Novo A/S.

NeRRe is based at the state-of-the-art Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (www.stevenagecatalyst.com), the UK’s first open innovation bioscience campus.

About Fountain Healthcare Partners
Fountain Healthcare Partners is a life science focused venture capital fund with €176 million ($200 million) under management. Within the life science sector, specific areas of interest to Fountain include specialty pharma, medical devices, biotechnology and diagnostics. The firm deploys the majority of its capital in Europe, with the balance in the United States. Fountain’s main office is in Dublin, Ireland, with a second office in New York. www.fh-partners.com

About Forbion Capital Partners
Forbion Capital Partners is a dedicated life sciences venture capital firm with offices in The Netherlands and Germany. Forbion invests in life sciences companies in the pharmaceutical, as well as the medical device space. Forbion’s investment team has built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in multiple companies. With the new FCFIII fund, Forbion manages well over EUR 700M across six funds, including the new fund FCF III. Its investors include the EIF through its European Recovery Programme (ERP), LfA and Dutch Venture Initiative (DVI) facilities and the KFW through the ERP – Venture Capital Fondsfinanzierung facility. Forbion also operates a joint venture with BioGeneration Ventures, who manages two separate seed and early stage funds focused on Benelux. For further information please visit www.forbion.com.

About OrbiMed
OrbiMed is a leading investment firm dedicated exclusively to the healthcare sector, with over $14 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests globally across the spectrum of healthcare companies, from venture capital start-ups to large multinational companies utilizing a range of private equity funds, public equity funds, royalty/debt funds and other investment vehicles. OrbiMed maintains its headquarters in New York City, with additional offices in San Francisco, Shanghai, Mumbai and Herzliya. www.OrbiMed.com

About Advent Life Sciences
Advent Life Sciences founds and invests in early- and mid-stage life sciences companies that have a first- or best-in-class approach to unmet medical needs. The investing team consists of 16 professionals, each with extensive scientific, medical and operational experience, a long-standing record of entrepreneurial and investment success in the US and Europe, and is particularly focused on supporting entrepreneurs and founders to take innovative new medical entities from concept to approval. The Firm invests in a range of sectors within life sciences, principally drug discovery, enabling technologies and med tech, always with an emphasis on innovative, paradigm-changing approaches. Advent Life Sciences has a presence in the UK, US and France. For more information, please visit www.AdventLS.com

For more information, please contact:

Mary Kerr, CEO of NeRRe Therapeutics
Tel:  +44 1438 906960
Email: info@nerretherapeutics.com 

Katja Stout/Mark Swallow, Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Tel: +44 20 7282 1066/2948
Email: NeRRe@citigatedr.co.uk