DISCO Pharmaceuticals Secures €36M Seed Financing and Appoints New CEO to Advance Surfaceome-Targeted Cancer Therapies
Key Insights
DISCO Pharmaceuticals (search) appointed Mark Manfredi as CEO and closed a €36 million seed financing round co-led by Ackermans & van Haaren (search) and NRW.Bank (search) to advance surfaceome (search)-targeted therapies.
The company's proprietary platform identifies novel cell-surface target pairs to develop bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (search) and T-cell engagers (search) for hard-to-treat tumors.
Lead ADC programs targeting small cell lung cancer (search) and microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (search) are advancing toward IND-enabling studies and clinical development.
DISCO Pharmaceuticals (search) announced the appointment of Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer and the final close of a €36 million seed financing round to advance its pipeline of surfaceome (search)-targeted drug candidates for hard-to-treat tumors. The seed expansion was co-led by Ackermans & van Haaren (search) and NRW.Bank (search), with participation from existing investors Sofinnova Partners (search), AbbVie Ventures (search), M Ventures (search), and Panakes Partners (search).
The Cologne-based company's proprietary Surfaceome (search)-Mapping Platform identifies previously unknown cell-surface target pairs, enabling the development of bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (search) (ADCs) and T-cell engagers (search) with enhanced tumor specificity. The proceeds will enable DISCO to advance multiple lead ADC candidates in small cell lung cancer (search) (SCLC) and microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (search) (MSS-CRC) toward IND-enabling studies and expand its pipeline.
Leadership Transition and Industry Experience
Dr. Manfredi brings over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry with a proven track record in cancer (search) drug development. He most recently served as CEO of Ikena Oncology and was previously an Entrepreneur in Residence at Atlas Venture (search). His background includes serving as Chief Scientific Officer of Raze Therapeutics (search) and Vice President, Oncology Biology at Takeda Pharmaceuticals (search), where he contributed to global oncology R&D strategy and helped translate several novel mechanisms into clinical development, including programs that progressed into Phase 3 trials and gained regulatory approval.
Dr. Manfredi succeeds company founder Roman Thomas, M.D., who will continue to support DISCO as a strategic advisor. "DISCO's talented team has demonstrated that its proprietary platform can identify novel cell-surface target pairs, enabling the development of a truly differentiated pipeline of ADCs and T-cell engagers (search)," commented Manfredi.
Platform Technology and Therapeutic Approach
DISCO's Surfaceome (search)-Mapping Platform quantifies all protein targets (search) on the cell surface using proteomics, antibody-based screening of suitable protein ligands, and bioinformatic selection of the most promising candidates for hit optimization. The platform enables the company to explore entirely new cell-surface structures and employs a target-pair strategy for maximum tumor specificity.
Building on this foundation, DISCO develops bispecific ADCs (search) that accurately target tumor cells and deliver cytotoxic payloads directly, as well as T-cell engagers (search) that activate the immune system and direct T-cells specifically toward tumor cells. The company's modular platform continuously generates new programs, positioning DISCO as an innovator opening up new therapeutic avenues.
Financing Expansion and Investor Support
The €36 million financing represents an expansion from DISCO's previous €20 million seed round. "DISCO's platform can open entirely new therapeutic areas by revealing previously unknown targets on the cancer (search) cell surface and their biology," said Lenny Van Steenhuyse, Investment Manager at Ackermans & van Haaren (search). "With the addition of Mark Manfredi as CEO, DISCO is poised to become a leader in surfaceome (search)-guided oncology drug development."
The additional funding will accelerate the development of DISCO's platform and advance multiple therapeutic programs toward clinical development. The first programs are nearing clinical entry and aim to provide new treatment options for SCLC, MSS-CRC, and other tumor types.
Pipeline Development and Clinical Prospects
DISCO's lead ADC programs targeting small cell lung cancer (search) and colorectal cancer (search) are moving toward the clinic. The company's approach focuses on developing indication-specific and pan-tumor therapies with the potential for unprecedented specificity and a broad therapeutic window to drive potent anti-tumor activity.
"DISCO was founded to discover novel medicines by mapping the entire surface of cells and significantly expanding the addressable target space for any indication," said Roman Thomas, founder and founding CEO. "Having led DISCO from its inception to the development of several promising programs emerging from our novel target discoveries, I look forward to the company's next phase of growth under Mark's leadership."