Morningside Venture Investments has led a series B round for the fibrotic diseases-focused spinout that advances University of Strasbourg research.
Alentis Therapeutics, a Switzerland-based developer of treatments for fibrotic diseases based on research at University of Strasbourg, pocketed $67m in a series B round today led by Morningside Venture Investments.
The round also included Jeito Capital, BioMed Partners, BB Pureos Bioventures, Bpifrance’s InnoBio 2 fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Schroders Capital.
Founded in 2019, Alentis is working on therapeutics that target Claudin-1, a protein responsible for maintaining the barrier function between epithelial cells – which line the surfaces of organs, skin, blood vessels and urinary tract.
The spinout’s lead asset is aimed at advanced liver and kidney fibrosis, but it is also running drug discovery programmes looking at other fibrotic diseases as well as cancers affecting the liver, gallbladder or bile duct.
Alentis builds on work by founder Prof Thomas Baumert at University of Strasbourg and the French National Institute of Health (Inserm).
The funding has been allocated to expanding the indications for Claudin-1 targeting agents and to build out Alentis’ pipeline. Jason Dinges of Morningside and Rafaèle Tordjman of Jeito Capital have joined the board of directors.
Alentis previously raised $12.5m in a series A round co-led by BioMedPartners and BB Pureos Bioventures in 2019, when Bpifrance, HTGF and Schroders also invested.
Thierry Heles
Thierry Heles is editor-at-large of Global University Venturing and Global Corporate Venturing, and host of the Beyond the Breakthrough podcast.
