Thursday, April 25, 2024
Flindr Therapeutics B.V. has recently secured €20 million in Series A financing to advance its innovative pipeline of first-in-class small molecule inhibitors for cancer treatment. The financing was led by V-Bio Ventures, with participation from Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), QBIC Fund, Flanders Future Tech Fund, Curie Capital, Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund, Swanbridge, and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM).
Combining cutting-edge science and expertise in translational biology, cancer target identification, immuno-oncology, and small molecule oncology drug development, Flindr boasts a team with a successful track record in bringing covalent small molecule inhibitors from discovery to market approval.
Central to Flindr's approach is the "ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine," a methodology developed from research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Oncode Institute. This approach translates clinical observations of tumor-specific and host-specific factors into lab-based models to identify crucial drug targets affecting patient clinical response.
Flindr's lead program focuses on a small molecule inhibitor of RNF31 (HOIP), an E3 ubiquitin ligase implicated in various cancers. Promising preclinical results in ovarian cancer and B-cell lymphoma models, along with biomarker identification for patient stratification, underscore the potential of this lead program. The Series A funds will support the progression of this lead candidate towards Investigational New Drug (IND) status, as well as the development of a second program and expansion of the pipeline using the ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine.
Founded in 2020 by CEO Maarten Ligtenberg, Flindr received initial seed funding from BOM, Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund, Swanbridge Capital, and Innovatiefonds Noord Holland. In 2023, Flindr partnered with VIB, Flanders' premier life sciences research institute, and Professor Rudi Beyaert's lab (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) to leverage their expertise in immunology and animal cancer model development.
Dr. Maarten Ligtenberg expressed confidence in the Series A financing to translate precision targets into transformative therapies for cancer patients. Christina Takke, Managing Partner at V-Bio Ventures, emphasized the significance of Flindr's collaborative approach and the synergy between NKI's identification expertise and VIB's biological insights.
Following the financing, the Flindr Supervisory Board of Directors will include prominent industry figures such as Christina Takke (V-Bio Ventures), Chris De Jonghe (Oncode Institute), Tine Bekaert (Flanders Future Tech Fund), Cedric van Nevel (QBIC Fund), Allard Kaptein (Genase Therapeutics, IMMIOS), and a representative from JJDC.
Source: prnewswire.com
