£65m Series A to advance amyloidosis therapy
Portfolio companyImmutrin, a biotechnology company developing the next generation antibody therapy to reverse amyloidosis, has announced it has successfully raised £65 million ($87 million) in a Series A financing.
The round was led by new investor Frazier Life Sciences, with participation from F-Prime, Qiming Venture Partners, SR One and founding investors Cambridge Innovation Capital and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures.
The proceeds from this financing will fund Immutrin’s lead asset through clinical proof of concept in ATTR cardiomyopathy, a serious and often fatal form of amyloidosis.
Amyloidosis is a group of rare, progressive diseases caused by misfolded proteins that aggregate into amyloid fibrils and accumulate in tissues and organs, leading to irreversible organ damage. While recent therapeutic advances slow or suppress amyloid production, no approved therapies effectively remove pre-existing amyloid deposits, leaving the underlying pathology largely intact. Effective amyloid removal is widely regarded as critical to restoring organ function and improving long-term clinical outcomes.
Immutrin’s novel antibody selectively binds to amyloid fibrils and is engineered to deplete amyloid deposits in tissue via a targeted and coordinated immune response, enabling more efficient removal of established amyloid deposits. The antibody is primarily being developed to address ATTR but may also have the potential to treat other amyloidosis types, including rare forms.
The Company was established by Cambridge Innovation Capital and academic founders Professor Sir Mark Pepys, FRS; Nobel Laureate Sir Gregory Winter, FRS; and Professor Daniel Christ. Immutrin’s approach is
based on decades of pioneering work by Professor Pepys elucidating ways to activate the body’s natural defence mechanisms to directly remove amyloid from tissues, combined with the world-leading antibody
expertise of Sir Gregory and Professor Christ, pioneers of antibody display and humanisation.
"Having been involved in building Immutrin from its earliest days, I'm delighted to welcome support from our new and existing investors in this strong global
syndicate."
She continues: “the depth of investor confidence speaks to the strength of our approach, the clear differentiation of our lead asset, and the genuine opportunity to transform outcomes for patients with ATTR amyloidosis.”
Mihriban Tuna is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Cambridge Innovation Capital and previously served as CSO at Adaptate Biotherapeutics (acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company), Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery at F-star Therapeutics and was an early employee at Domantis Ltd (acquired by GSK).
The experienced management team includes Tolga Hassan who joins the company as CFO and COO, having previously served as CFO at Agomab Therapeutics and F-star Therapeutics.
Sef Kurstjens, Chair of the Board at Immutrin, said:
“Amyloidosis remains an area of critical unmet need, particularly for patients with advanced disease driven by existing amyloid deposits. Immutrin’s lead asset has the potential to clear large, established amyloid deposits more effectively than other depleter antibodies in development, while complementing therapies that suppress amyloid production. I’d like to thank both our new and existing investors for their support, and I look forward to working together to realise the potential of Immutrin’s therapy to improve clinical outcomes in ATTR cardiomyopathy.”
Sef Kurstjens brings extensive global biopharmaceutical leadership experience, having previously served as CMO at Astellas, Allergan and Urovant; CEO of Bright Peak Therapeutics and Agensys; and Vice President of Clinical Development at Pfizer.
James Topper, Managing Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, added:
“We were delighted to lead this Series A financing and to support Immutrin at this pivotal stage. Our assessment of the landscape highlighted the compelling scientific foundations of the potential for Immutrin’s lead candidate to become a best-in-class therapy for reversal of ATTR amyloidosis. We look forward to collaborating with the Immutrin team to work towards advancing this asset to clinical proof of concept.”
Dr Amanda Wooding, Deputy Head of Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, said:
“We are delighted to see Immutrin go from strength to strength. The latest raise is a testament to the robustness and potential impact that their therapeutic approach can have by effectively treating ATTR cardiomyopathy. As one of our portfolio companies, we are proud to have supported its journey from the outset, alongside CIC, bringing much needed solutions to underserved pathologies.”
Image credits: Immutrin Ltd
