Alongside SR One backing F-star are Germany-based drugs maker Merck Serono's corporate venturing unit, MP Healthcare Venture, a jointly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma and its parent company Mitsubishi Chemical, and venture capital firms Atlas Venture, Aescap Venture, Novo Ventures and TVM Capital.
Austria-based biotechnology company F-star has raised €15m ($22m) from a consortium led by drugs company GlaxoSmithKline’s corporate venturing unit, SR One.
Alongside SR One are Germany-based drugs maker Merck Serono’s corporate venturing unit, MP Healthcare Venture, a jointly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma and its parent company Mitsubishi Chemical, and venture capital firms Atlas Venture, Aescap Venture, Novo Ventures and TVM Capital.
Deborah Harland (pictured), head of SR One, has become a board member at the portfolio company and said: "F-star has shown that its modular antibody technology platform can generate multiple high-affinity biotherapeutics against targets of varying precedence and novelty in both single- and bi-specific formats.
"The platform has the potential to generate numerous novel differentiated biologics with advanced efficacy, tissue penetration, and targeting capabilities compared to traditional antibodies."
In November, F-star signed a collaboration and license agreement with Germany-based drugs company Boehringer Ingelheim for up to seven targets in areas nominated by Boehringer.
