Lyon, France-based Brenus Pharma, a biotech company specialising in developing cancer vaccines, announced on Wednesday that it has secured €22.2M in a Series A funding round.
The round is led by Angelor, an investment fund bringing together a cluster of investors from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (AURA) region.
This group includes UI Investissement for the Fonds régional Avenir industrie Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Crédit Agricole Centre-France, and Crédit Agricole Centre-Est, along with two family offices.
Belgian funds Noshaq and Investsud completed this significant deal.
They join co-founder and lead investor Jacques Gardette (BIOJAG) and long-time investor Stéphane Legastelois (33 CALIFORNIE).
In addition, Brenus Pharma has received non-dilutive funding from the French government and Bpifrance as a beneficiary of the France 2030 call for projects.
Fund utilisation
The French company will use the capital to fund the first-in-human proof-of-concept of the STC-1010 cancer vaccine in first-line settings for metastatic colorectal cancer patients.
The STC-1010 vaccine is the first candidate based on the STC ‘Stimulated-Tumor-(ghost)-Cells’ technology platform developed by Brenus Pharma.
At the same time, STC-1010 will be extended to other types of gastric tumors, such as the pancreas and liver.
The French company will accelerate the development of its portfolio in other solid tumor indications, notably with STC-1020, our second candidate in development.
Paul BRAVETTI, Chief Executive Officer of Brenus Pharma, says, “We are delighted to welcome top-tier investors who have been part of recent French success stories (Mablink, Amolyt Pharma). This is an important milestone for Brenus Pharma, confirming the potential of the STC platform and of STC-1010, which has already demonstrated solid proof of efficacy in various preclinical models.”
“I would like to thank all our team for their motivation and their passionate work to bring a new therapeutic solution to patients rapidly. Our shared ambition is to position our platform at the forefront of the national and international scene and to become a leader in next-generation cancer immunotherapies,” adds Bravetti.
According to Cancer Tomorrow, currently, 90 per cent of patients treated for solid tumors will experience a relapse, and by 2022, 10M of them will have exhausted available treatments, leading to a fatal outcome. This number is projected to increase by 70 per cent by 2045.
Brenus Pharma: Developing biotherapy to address health challenges
Brenus Pharma aims to address through its biotherapy on a large scale to address a significant public health challenge.
Led by Paul Bravetti, Brenus Pharma develops its proteomics-guided allogeneic cancer vaccines, generated by the patented
STC ‘Stimulated-Tumor-(ghost)-Cell’ platform for the treatment of solid tumors.
STC mimics the relapse conditions of patients’ tumor cells to educate their immune systems to anticipate, target, and destroy tumor cells as soon as they appear.
STC-1010’s phase I/IIA “BreAK-CRC” study is currently under review by the European regulatory authorities and will be conducted with the participation of expert clinicians in early-phase immuno-oncology units inEurope, and subsequently the United States.
It is based on very positive preclinical studies obtained in vitro, in ovo, and ex vivo, showing extremely encouraging safety and efficacy results, validated by a committee of international immuno-oncology experts.
Phase I will evaluate the tolerability of different dose levels of STC-1010, combined with low-dose immunostimulants and standard chemotherapy.
Subsequently, the Phase IIA study will further evaluate treatment efficacy, with a particular focus on progression-free survival at 12 months.
Innovative exploratory assays will evaluate the immune response and the dynamics of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).
The investor
Founded in 2008, Angelor is an independent venture capital that has invested close to €30M in 76 startups, particularly in the healthcare, agri-food, and environment sectors – helping to create over 700 direct jobs, mainly in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Marie CHAMBODUT, Partner, and Investment Director at Angelor, says “We are proud to lead this strategic transaction for Brenus Pharma to support the clinical development of their cancer vaccines, including STC-1010, the first and most advanced program to emerge from the platform. We look forward to joining Paul and his exceptional team in transforming Brenus into a global player in precision immuno-oncology, bringing solutions to millions of patients experiencing treatment failure, and contributing to the development of the French biotherapeutics industry.”
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