Immutrin Secures $87 Million Series A to Advance Novel Antibody Therapy for ATTR Amyloidosis
核心洞察
Immutrin (搜索) raised £65 million ($87 million) in Series A funding led by Frazier Life Sciences (搜索) to develop a next-generation antibody therapy targeting ATTR amyloidosis (搜索).
The company's lead asset is designed to selectively remove pre-existing amyloid deposits through a targeted immune response, addressing a critical unmet medical need.
Proceeds will fund the lead candidate through clinical proof of concept in ATTR cardiomyopathy (搜索), a serious and often fatal form of amyloidosis (搜索).
Cambridge-based biotechnology company Immutrin (搜索) has successfully raised £65 million ($87 million) in Series A financing to advance its novel antibody therapy designed to reverse amyloidosis (搜索) by removing pre-existing amyloid deposits. The oversubscribed round was led by Frazier Life Sciences (搜索), with participation from F-Prime (搜索), Qiming Venture Partners (搜索), SR One (搜索), and founding investors Cambridge Innovation Capital (搜索) and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures (搜索).
Addressing Critical Unmet Medical Need
Amyloidosis (搜索) represents a group of rare, progressive diseases caused by misfolded proteins that aggregate into amyloid fibrils (搜索) and accumulate in tissues and organs, leading to irreversible organ damage. While recent therapeutic advances have focused on slowing or suppressing amyloid production, no approved therapies effectively remove pre-existing amyloid deposits, leaving the underlying pathology largely intact.
"Amyloidosis (搜索) remains an area of critical unmet need, particularly for patients with advanced disease driven by existing amyloid deposits," said Sef Kurstjens, Chair of the Board at Immutrin (搜索). "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."
Novel Mechanism of Action
Immutrin (搜索)'s approach centers on a novel antibody that selectively binds to amyloid fibrils (搜索) and is engineered to deplete amyloid deposits in tissue via a targeted and coordinated immune response. This mechanism enables more efficient removal of established amyloid deposits compared to existing approaches. The antibody is primarily being developed to address ATTR (transthyretin (搜索) amyloidosis (搜索)) but may also have potential to treat other amyloidosis types, including rare forms.
The company's lead asset is being developed for the treatment of ATTR cardiomyopathy (搜索), a serious and progressive form of amyloidosis (搜索) that is often fatal. The therapy represents a potential best-in-class approach with a unique mechanism of action designed to selectively and exclusively remove established amyloid fibrils (搜索).
Scientific Foundation and Leadership
Immutrin (搜索) was established by Cambridge Innovation Capital (搜索) and distinguished academic founders including Professor Sir Mark Pepys, FRS; Nobel Laureate Sir Gregory Winter, FRS; and Professor Daniel Christ. The company's approach builds on decades of pioneering work by Professor Pepys in elucidating ways to activate the body's natural defense mechanisms to directly remove amyloid from tissues, combined with world-leading antibody expertise from Sir Gregory and Professor Christ, who are pioneers of antibody display and humanization.
"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 (搜索)," said Mihriban Tuna, Chief Executive Officer at Immutrin (搜索).
Clinical Development Plans
The proceeds from this financing will fund Immutrin (搜索)'s lead asset through clinical proof of concept in ATTR cardiomyopathy (搜索). Effective amyloid removal is widely regarded as critical to restoring organ function and improving long-term clinical outcomes, positioning Immutrin's approach to potentially transform treatment paradigms in this space.
James Topper, Managing Partner at Frazier Life Sciences (搜索), commented: "Our assessment of the landscape highlighted the compelling scientific foundations of the potential for Immutrin (搜索)'s lead candidate to become a best-in-class therapy for reversal of ATTR amyloidosis (搜索). We look forward to collaborating with the Immutrin team to work towards advancing this asset to clinical proof of concept."
Management Team and Board Composition
The company is led by an experienced management team including CEO Mihriban Tuna, who previously served as CSO at Adaptate Biotherapeutics (acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (搜索)) and Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery at F-star Therapeutics (搜索). The team also includes Tolga Hassan as CFO and COO, who previously served as CFO at Agomab Therapeutics (搜索) and F-star Therapeutics.
Following the financing, James Topper from Frazier Life Sciences (搜索), Nihal Sinha from F-Prime (搜索), and Alex Sinclair-Wilson from Qiming Venture Partners (搜索) will join the Board of Directors alongside existing members Mihriban Tuna, Sef Kurstjens, and Michael Anstey from Cambridge Innovation Capital (搜索).