Spica Therapeutics Secures €1 Million VLAIO Grant to Advance Anti-CD163 Monoclonal Antibody for Cancer Treatment
Key Insights
Spica Therapeutics (search) received a €1.0 million two-year grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO (search)) to accelerate development of its lead anti-CD163 (search) depleting monoclonal antibody program in oncology (search).
The funding will propel the company's innovative macrophage-targeted therapy toward early Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies.
Spica will collaborate with leading academic partners in Flanders, including VUB (search)'s Molecular Imaging and Therapy research group and VIB (search)'s Myeloid Cell Immunology Lab.
Spica Therapeutics (search), a Belgian biotech company pioneering macrophage-targeted therapies, announced it has secured a €1.0 million grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO (search)) to advance its lead anti-CD163 (search) depleting monoclonal antibody program in oncology (search). The two-year funding will accelerate the company's innovative cancer (search) therapy toward early Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies.
Strategic Funding for Macrophage-Targeted Cancer Therapy
The VLAIO (search) grant represents a significant milestone for Spica's approach to selectively target disease-relevant macrophage subsets. James Rush, CEO of Spica Therapeutics (search), emphasized the importance of this recognition: "We are honored that VLAIO recognizes the potential of our innovative approach to selectively target disease-relevant macrophage subsets. This funding will significantly strengthen our efforts to advance our lead anti-CD163 monoclonal antibody (search) into IND-enabling studies."
The company's anti-CD163 (search) depleting monoclonal antibody represents a novel therapeutic approach that harnesses macrophage biology to develop transformative cancer (search) treatments. CD163 serves as a target for depleting specific macrophage populations that play crucial roles in cancer progression.
Academic Collaborations to Accelerate Development
As part of the VLAIO (search)-supported initiative, Spica will collaborate with two leading academic partners in Flanders to deepen understanding of macrophage biology and accelerate therapeutic translation.
The company will work with the Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MITH) research group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB (search)), led by Prof. Nick Devoogdt, who is renowned for his translational work in radiotracer development for non-invasive imaging of cancer (search) and immune cells. Additionally, Spica will partner with the Myeloid Cell Immunology Lab at VIB (search) and the Brussels Center for Immunology (BCIM) at VUB, under the leadership of Prof. Jo Van Ginderachter, internationally recognized for his research on the role of myeloid cells, particularly macrophages (search), in cancer and infectious diseases.
Hilde Revets, Director of Non-Clinical Operations, and Anders Etzerodt, CSO at Spica Therapeutics (search), highlighted the value of these partnerships: "These collaborations will be instrumental in deepening our understanding of macrophage biology and accelerating the translation of our therapeutic candidates. We're excited to work alongside such esteemed partners to bring new hope to patients."
Proprietary Platform Technology
Spica's competitive advantage lies in its proprietary functional macrophage fingerprinting technology, which enables the company to identify and selectively target disease-relevant macrophage subsets. This platform technology positions the company to develop novel therapies addressing significant unmet medical needs across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology (search), fibroinflammatory, and autoimmune diseases (search).
Founded on pioneering research from the University of Aarhus, Southern Denmark University, and INSERM, Spica is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, with an additional site in Denmark. The company is currently advancing two lead programs with the goal of delivering life-changing treatments to patients worldwide.
Investment and Ecosystem Support
The VLAIO (search) grant underscores Spica's integration within Flanders' innovation ecosystem, as noted by CEO James Rush: "It also underscores Spica's deep integration within Flanders' world-class innovation ecosystem—an environment that continues to fuel our global mission." The company is backed by prominent investors, including Bioqube Ventures (search), Flanders Future TechFund (managed by PMV), and QBIC (search).