Oncologie Closes $80-Million Financing for Clinical-Stage Pipeline
Oncologie recently announced it has closed an $80M Series B financing. Existing investors, led by Nan Fung Life Sciences and Pivotal BioVentures China, are joined by a syndicate of new investors including Panacea Venture Healthcare and Korea Investment Partners.
The funding will be used to advance Oncologie’s three clinical stage programs, as well as its proprietary biomarker platform and in-licensing activities. Oncologie will initiate key clinical trials in the coming months, including a global proof of concept gastric cancer study with its lead compound, bavituximab, in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda). Bavituximab is an investigational immune-modulatory monoclonal antibody that targets phosphatidylserine (PS), a phospholipid that inhibits the ability of immune cells to recognize and fight tumors. Oncologie’s other programs include a TLR9 activator, lefitolimod, and a unique VEGF-targeting antibody, varisacumab. Oncologie’s biomarker platform is designed to better inform patient selection across the portfolio by matching patients lacking a genetic “driver” mutation with the right medicine and allowing for selection of patients for treatment based on the microenvironmental defects of their tumor. The Company will also continue to leverage its platform to identify best-in-class assets for licensing and development.
“Expectations for precision medicine are increasing worldwide. By matching the right drug to the right patient, Oncologie’s innovative biomarker platform is designed to build value by narrowing patient populations, accelerating development timelines and reducing failure,” said Laura E. Benjamin, PhD, Founder, President, and CEO. “This funding allows us to accelerate the development of our pipeline and platform, and grow our portfolio through partnering or acquisition.”
“Over the past year, Oncologie has assembled an outstanding team of experienced professionals and a robust pipeline around a truly innovative biomarker platform,” said Peter Bisgaard, Managing Director for NanFung Life Sciences and Managing Partner of Pivotal BioVenture Partners. “I am particularly excited by Oncologie’s biomarker strategy and approach, which leverages cutting-edge science to optimize patient selection in the challenging arena of the tumor microenvironment. This team has ambitious and strategic growth plan for building a leading oncology therapeutics company around this platform and around a pipeline of next-generation immunotherapies. ”
ONCOLOGIE is an oncology therapeutics company committed to delivering better outcomes for cancer patients through an improved understanding of which patients will benefit from each drug in the pipeline. The current pipeline is focused on mid-stage clinical programs that modify the immune system to enhance efficacy of current standards of care and emerging immunotherapy agents. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Shanghai, China, Oncologie is working with global partners to acquire and develop innovative drugs for cancer patients around the world. For more information on Oncologie, Inc., visit www.oncologie.international.
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