Spun out of University of Côte d’Azur and Inserm, InnoSkel expects to fund clinical work to address a form of skeletal dysplasia that causes dwarfism.

InnoSkel, a France-based gene therapy spinout of University of Côte d’Azur and research institute Inserm targeting rare skeletal diseases, publicly launched today with €20m ($24.3m) of series A capital.
The round was co-led by life sciences-focused investment firm Vida Ventures and private equity firm Jeito Capital with participation from EU-backed regional investment fund Région Sud Investissement and asset management firm Turenne Group.
InnoSkel is working on gene therapies to address skeletal dysplasia, a group of genetic disorders that impede the infantile growth of bones and joints.
The series A capital will help prepare for clinical trials on InnoSkel’s lead program, targeting a skeletal disorder called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia congenita (SEDc) that triggers dwarfism.
InnoSkel also intends to use series A capital to develop the rest of its skeletal disorder pipeline, in addition to expanding its management and lab operations.
InnoSkel’s founding CEO is Elvire Gouze, who leads research into skeletal dysplasia at Institut de Biologie Valrose, a research hub affiliated to Inserm and University of Côte d’Azur.
Gouze previously helped launch Therachon, an Inserm-founded genetic disorder drug developer acquired by pharmaceutical firm Pfizer for $810m in May 2019.
Gouze said: “Innoskel is committed to developing transformative therapies for patients with skeletal dysplasia who currently have no viable treatment options and experience poor quality of life as a result.
”We are extremely excited to progress our novel gene therapy for SEDc, as well as our broader therapy platform, and will be working closely with the patient community as we move forwards.”