Brenus Pharma has completed a Series A funding round, securing $25m to propel the clinical trials of its precision cancer vaccines.
Angelor led the financing round with contributions from Belgian funds Noshaq and Investsud.
BIOJAG co-founder Jacques Gardette also joined the funding alone with long-time investor 33 CALIFORNIE’s Stéphane Legastelois.
In addition to the equity investment, Brenus obtained non-dilutive funding from the French government and Bpifrance as a beneficiary of the France 2030 project call.
These funds will finance the first-in-human proof-of-concept Phase I/IIA clinical trial of its STC-1010 as a first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer patients.
STC-1010 is said to be the first vaccine candidate based on Brenus’ ‘Stimulated-Tumour-(ghost)-Cells’ [STC] technology platform.
STC technology is a new approach to cancer treatment and helps anticipate disease progression.
Dubbed BreAK-CRC, the Phase I/IIA study of STC-1010 is currently under review by European regulatory authorities and will involve expert clinicians in immuno-oncology units across Europe and later in the US.
The study follows promising preclinical results, showing safety and efficacy, and is validated by an international committee of immuno-oncology experts.
Phase I portion will assess the tolerability of STC-1010 at various dose levels, in combination with low-dose immunostimulants and standard chemotherapy.
The subsequent Phase IIA part will focus on treatment efficacy, particularly progression-free survival at 12 months.
Brenus Pharma CEO Paul Bravetti said: “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.”
