UK biotechnology company Athernal Bio has secured nearly $940,000 in non-dilutive funding from Innovate UK to advance an immunotherapy program aimed at preventing the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patients identified as being at high risk.

The grant, awarded through Innovate UK’s Growth Catalyst – Investor Partnerships program, will support preclinical development of Athernal’s lead candidate and preparations for eventual clinical testing. The company is also continuing to receive financial backing from existing investor Delin Ventures.

Athernal is developing therapies based on the concept of cancer interception, with the goal of treating biological changes that precede the onset of overt cancer. AML is an aggressive hematologic malignancy that can be preceded by high-risk clonal hematopoiesis (CH). The precursor condition involves the expansion of blood-cell clones carrying genetic alterations associated with an increased risk of developing blood cancer.

Advances in molecular testing have made it increasingly possible to identify individuals with high-risk CH before leukemia develops. However, patients identified at this stage currently have limited options beyond monitoring and management of their risk. Athernal’s approach is designed to address this gap by using targeted immunotherapy to recognize and eliminate high-risk cells before they progress to malignant disease.

The new funding will be used to generate the preclinical data needed to evaluate Athernal’s lead immunotherapy candidate and support its progression toward human clinical studies. The company plans to conduct the work in collaboration with UK academic and research organizations.

“Patients at the highest risk of developing leukaemia currently have no therapeutic options to alter the course of their disease,” says Dr. Caroline Haegeman, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Athernal Bio.

Haegeman described the Innovate UK award as validation of the company’s scientific approach and said the funding, alongside continued support from Delin Ventures, would allow Athernal to move its lead program closer to the clinic. The strategy reflects a broader shift in oncology research toward identifying and treating disease at earlier biological stages, potentially before conventional signs of cancer emerge.

The funding also highlights increasing interest in cancer interception as a potential complement to conventional cancer treatment. Rather than waiting for malignancy to become clinically established, interception strategies seek to identify individuals with measurable precancerous changes and intervene while disease progression may still be preventable.

Jonathan Hay, partner at Delin Ventures, said cancer interception could shift oncology toward prevention rather than relying primarily on treatment after disease has developed. Athernal’s program focuses specifically on patients with high-risk CH who have an elevated likelihood of progressing to AML.

For Athernal, the latest award provides funding to advance its lead program through the preclinical stage and represents another step toward testing whether targeted immune intervention can prevent high-risk blood-cell clones from progressing into leukemia.

For more information, visit https://www.athernalbio.com/.