VectorY BV

Financing co-led by Forbion, HealthCap and new investor Bioqube Ventures Funds will be used for pivotal trial of potential best-in-class, next-generation treatment for Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour DUBLIN and OXFORD, England, April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SynOx Therapeutics Limited ("SynOx" or the "Company"), the late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce the close of a $75m Series B financing. The financing was co-led by Forbion, HealthCap and new investor Bioqube Ventures. The proceeds will be used to generate registrational Phase 3 clinical and CMC data for emactuzumab, SynOx's potentially best-in-class CSF-1(R) inhibiting monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the treatment of Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour (TGCT). TGCT is a type of tumour that affects the soft tissue lining of joints and tendons and is a highly debilitating disease often impacting large, important joints such as the knee, hip and ankle. TGCT is a chronic disease which often impacts patients throughout their lives. It seriously impacts quality of life by causing significant loss of function of the affected joints, pain, stiffness, and limiting range of motion. While most patients receive surgical intervention, more than 50% of patients with diffuse disease experience tumour recurrence within three years of surgery[1]. Emactuzumab is a novel, next-generation CSF-1R mAb with a potentially best-in-class profile. In earlier clinical work in TGCT[2] emactuzumab demonstrated substantial clinical activity with an objective response rate (ORR) of 71%, rapid and robust tumour reduction, a long duration of effect, and significant improvements in functional ability. Importantly, these studies also indicated that emactuzumab has good tolerability and a manageable safety profile. SynOx is initiating a Phase 3 trial (TANGENT) to assess the efficacy and safety of emactuzumab in patients with localized and diffuse TGCT. As part of the Series B financing both Dr Carlo Incerti, M.D., and Jon Edwards, PhD, have joined the Board of Directors. Dr Incerti has more than three decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and brings an extensive track record in global drug development, including from his time at Sanofi Genzyme where he played a leading role in pioneering therapies for rare and genetic diseases. Jon Edwards brings a decade of therapeutic investment expertise and company creation experience, which includes several public listings and multi-billion-dollar acquisitions. Ray Barlow, Chief Executive Officer of SynOx Therapeutics, said: "This is a transformational time for SynOx. This substantial funding will allow us to generate registrational data for emactuzumab in TGCT. As a highly effective, next-generation therapy with a short treatment cycle, rapid onset and long duration of response, we believe that emactuzumab is differentiated from other agents in development and will provide a much needed and valuable option for patients suffering from this grievous disease." Dirk Kersten, General Partner at Forbion, commented: "We are pleased to continue to support the SynOx team as it moves emactuzumab through to BLA and MAA submissions in TGCT. As a late-stage company with a clinically de-risked asset, focused on an attractive and underserved market, SynOx is a good example of the type of company Forbion Growth would typically invest in." Jon Edwards, Bioqube Ventures commented: "We are excited to join the SynOx syndicate and work with this fantastic team and board. We believe this asset has the potential to generate best-in-class data and are excited to help the team develop the product through approval and launch." Ton Logtenberg, Non-Executive Chair of SynOx Therapeutics, added: "The support of our existing and new investors is validation of SynOx's strategy and its great potential as a company. I would like to welcome Carlo Incerti and Jon Edwards to the Board of Directors. Their broad experience and knowledge, particularly in driving forward cutting-edge therapies for rare diseases, and executing deals at the highest level, complement the expertise of our existing directors and will be instrumental as we accelerate the late-stage clinical development of emactuzumab." About SynOx Therapeutics SynOx Therapeutics Limited is a Dublin and Oxford -based, late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing emactuzumab, a best-in-class monoclonal antibody against CSF-1R, for the treatment of Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour (TGCT) and other CSF-1 related and macrophage driven disorders. SynOx is led by an experienced team of industry professionals with a successful track record of developing and bringing products to commercialisation. It is backed by a strong syndicate of premier life science investors including Forbion, HealthCap, BioQube and Medicxi. Carlo Incerti, M.D. Carlo has more than three decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including in rare disease drug development. Carlo is currently an operating partner at Forbion, a life sciences venture capital firm. Previously, he held several positions of increasing responsibility during his more than 25 years at Sanofi Genzyme, including senior vice president, chief medical officer and head of global medical affairs. Before his industry career Carlo was a practicing endocrinologist and an Associate Professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, where he had received his medical degree. Currently he is chairman of the Board at Numab Therapeutics AG, Azafaros B.V., VectorY Therapeutics, and a member of the Board of Dyne Therapeutics. Jon Edwards Jon recently joined the Bioqube Ventures team. Previously, he served as Managing Director at Red Tree Venture Capital and was part of the founding team at Medicxi where he was a partner in the London office. He has led multiple investments spanning company formation, syndicated deals, and late-stage crossover/IPO financings. A few notable investments include Impact Biomedicines (acquired by Celgene), Synthorx (acquired by Sanofi), Phathom Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PHAT), and Checkmate Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Regeneron). Jon conducted his postdoctoral research at MIT and holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. About Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour (TGCT) Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour (TGCT), previously termed pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS), is a type of tumour that affects the soft tissue lining of joints and tendons. TGCTs are categorised as fibrohistiocytic tumours by the WHO classification and are subclassified based on growth patterns (localised- and diffuse types) and location (tendon sheath, and intra- and extra-articular forms). TGCTs are locally destructive and can be aggressive tumours. TGCT is a chronically debilitating disease which often impacts patients throughout their lives. It causes loss of function of the affected joints, pain, stiffness, limited range of motion and a significant impact on the quality of life as a result. Most patients receive surgical intervention, with 3-year post-surgery recurrence rates in more than 50% of patients[3]. Symptoms typically progress slowly but can be aggressive and destructive. If left untreated complications include moderate to severe joint deformity, degenerative articular changes, and osteoarthritis, which if severe enough, can lead to cortical bone destruction and occasionally the need for arthrodesis or amputation. About CSF-1 and Emactuzumab CSF-1 (or macrophage colony-stimulating factor) is a cytokine that binds to the CSF-1 receptor (CSF-1R), expressed on macrophages and certain other cells, with effects on production, differentiation, and function of these cells. Emactuzumab is a humanised IgG1 CSF-1R targeted antibody that inhibits and depletes macrophages in the tumour tissue. Emactuzumab was originally discovered and developed by Roche and has been tested in several phase 1/b studies as a monotherapy and in combination with other agents, including chemotherapeutics and immunotherapies. In clinical studies as a monotherapy in 63 patients with TGCT, emactuzumab has shown a substantial effect on tumour response (ORR ~71%) and was well tolerated2. Emactuzumab is a novel monoclonal antibody inhibiting CSF-1R that offers a short course of treatment. Phase I/II studies indicated good tolerability and a manageable safety profile and substantial preliminary efficacy in TGCT patients with rapid, robust tumour reduction and durable response. Emactuzumab may also have utility in other macrophage driven diseases and the company is actively considering potential options in these areas. SOURCE SynOx Therapeutics

Engrail Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biotechnology company, has raised another $157 million to support its work developing precision medicines for psychiatric conditions and rare disorders.The fresh funds announced Tuesday come from a Series B financing round that received more interest than Engrail had expected. New investors F-Prime Capital, Forbion and Norwest Venture Partners co-led the round, which also saw participation from more than half a dozen other life sciences investors.Engrails research revolves around modifying the neurotransmitters dopamine and GABA as well as cellular copper levels. The companys most advanced drug, named ENX-102, is in human testing as a potential treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. It also has preclinical programs targeting depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and an uncommon, inherited illness known as Menkes disease.Engrail said the Series B proceeds will help move its programs through multiple stages of clinical development. The company is now well positioned to deliver multiple value-creating milestones, including completing an ongoing mid-stage study of ENX-102, said CEO Vikram Sudarsan in a statement.We see tremendous potential in Engrails pipeline and management team, said Stacie Weninger, president of F-Prime Biomedical Research Initiative, which provides seed funding and guidance to startups advancing treatments for Alzheimers disease and related brain disorders.Weninger and Jasper Bos, a general partner at Forbion, are now part of Engrails board of directors. The company has also added Tiba Aynechi, a general partner at Norwest Venture Partners; Niall ODonnell, a managing director at RiverVest Venture Partners; and Heath Lukatch, a co-founder and managing partner at Red Tree Venture Capital.A year after its establishment in 2019, Engrail raised $32 million through a Series A financing round led by Nan Fung Life Sciences, the global investment platform of the Nan Fung Group.With its latest haul, Engrail joins a handful of other brain-focused biotechs that over the last year have brought in tens of millions of dollars for their research.In early February, Alto Neuroscience, a company trying to create new treatments for central nervous system disorders, raked in nearly $130 million through an initial public offering. A week later, Neurona Therapeutics raised another $120 million to continue its work on off-the-shelf cell therapies for brain diseases. And most recently, Latigo Biotherapeutics debuted with $135 million to develop non-opioid pain medicines.Last year, the biotechs Rapport Therapeutics, MapLight Therapeutics, VectorY Therapeutics and Nido Biosciences collectively raised more than $620 million through financing rounds of various stages. Richly-funded Neumora Therapeutics also grew its cash pile with an IPO that fetched $250 million. '

CEO and Co-Founder of Aiolos Bio and previous CEO of Gyroscope, Khurem Farooq joins as independent board member AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- VectorY Therapeutics, a biotech company developing innovative vectorized antibody therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Khurem Farooq as independent board member, effective immediately. Khurem Farooq is an accomplished industry leader who brings more than 20 years of operational and drug development experience. He currently serves as the CEO at Aiolos Bio which recently announced an agreement to be acquired by GSK. Previously Khurem served as the CEO of Gyroscope, which was acquired by Novartis in 2021. Prior to Gyroscope, Khurem was Senior Vice President of the Immunology and Ophthalmology business unit at Genentech, part of the Roche Group, where he led the commercialization and launch planning of a number of medicines and contributed to the development of several pipeline products. Khurem holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration as well as an Honours degree in Biological Sciences. The appointment follows VectorY’s $138m series A announced in November 2023, co-led by EQT Life Sciences and the Forbion Growth Opportunities Fund II, to support clinical development of the company’s lead program in ALS, and preclinical development of pipeline programs based on VectorY’s broad technology platform. Sander van Deventer, CEO of VectorY, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Khurem to VectorY as an independent board member. He brings a wealth of leadership experience across operations, strategy and drug development in the pharma and biotech industry, which will be invaluable as we move in the next stage of growth of our company and advance our lead program VTx-002 for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) towards clinical development .” Khurem Farooq, Independent board member at VectorY, said: “I am excited to join this talented team at such a pivotal time. I am very impressed with VectorY’s unique capabilities to combine gene and antibody therapy drug development as well as its pipeline progress. The company’s innovative approach has the potential to overcome limitations of current therapies and translate into disease-modifying treatments across multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS.” -Ends- Photograph available upon request Notes to Editors About VectorY VectorY is on a mission to provide patients with neurodegenerative diseases a longer, better life by creating transformative vectorized antibody treatments. Our platform combines the promise of precise therapeutic antibodies with one-time AAV-based delivery to the CNS. Unique in-house expertise in antibodies, AAV vectors, protein degradation, manufacturing and neuroscience drives the rapid development of much needed disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s disease. For more information, see . About VTx-002 VTx-002 is being developed to delay disease progression and preserve the quality of life of ALS patients. VTx-002, currently in preclinical development, is a vectorized antibody that selectively clears misfolded and aggregated TDP-43 from the cytoplasm of neuronal cells. Thereby, it restores the essential function of TDP-43 in the nucleus leading to preservation of neuronal cell function and health. ALS is a devastating condition that in the Western world has an estimated lifetime risk of 1:250 in males and 1:400 in females. It is characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, which leads to an average life expectancy after diagnosis of only two to five years. Presently there is no cure available to stop or reverse ALS and currently available treatments only slow disease progression by months.