Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg's cancer immunotherapy developer Catalym plans to move its lead asset into the clinic next month.
Catalym, a Germany-based cancer immunotherapy spinout of Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, completed a €50m ($59m) series B round led by life sciences fund Vesalius Biocapital III yesterday.
The round included Novartis Venture Fund, the strategic investment unit of pharmaceutical firm Novartis, German government-backed investment fund Coparion, Bavarian state-owned Bayern Kapital’s Wachstumsfonds Bayern and venture capital firms BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) and Forbion Capital Partners.
Founded in 2016, Catalym is developing monoclonal antibody treatments for cold tumours which help penetrate mechanisms that prevent immune cells from warding off the disease – known collectively as the tumour microenvironment.
Its lead candidate, CTL-002, aims to neutralise a tumour-derived protein called GDF-15 that is believed to strengthen resistance to existing oncological therapies.
Catalym is also working on discovery-stage assets to address cancer and autoimmune diseases leveraging GDF-15’s immune receptor.
The spinout is based on research led by Jörg Wischhusen, head of the section of experimental tumour immunology at University of Würzburg’s Medical School.
The series B funding is intended to prepare CTL-002 for a first-in-human clinical study anticipated to commence in December 2020.
Representatives from Vesalius Biocapital III, Novartis Venture Fund and Wachstumsfonds Bayern will join the board of directors.
BGV and Forbion were identified as founding investors in Catalym’s latest announcement, however historical funding details could not be ascertained.
