Apmonia Therapeutics SAS. (2/10/22). "Press Release: Apmonia Therapeutics Announces a 4 M€ Fundraising Round to Complete Regulatory Preclinical Studies of Its Anti-cancer Immunotherapy Drug Candidate (AP-01)". Reims.

	Region	France
	Organisation	Apmonia Therapeutics SAS
	Organisation 2	Fournier-Majoie Foundation (Fondation Fournier-Majoie)
	Product	AP-01 cancer immunotherapy (Apmonia Therapeutics)
	Product 2	venture capital
	Index term	Apmonia Therapeutics–SEVERAL: investment, 202202 funding round €4m incl equity investments + Bpifrance loans + governmental/regional grants
	Person	Jeanne, Albin (Apmonia Therapeutics 202202 President + Co-Founder)

Success for Apmonia Therapeutics' technology platform developing a portfolio of therapeutic peptides targeting tumor microenvironment in solid tumors

Apmonia Therapeutics announces today that it has raised approximately €4 million in financing, following an initial operation in 2020 with Business Angels Marne Ardennes (BAMA). Thus, a total of nearly 5.3 M€ in financing has been mobilized for the development of Apmonia Therapeutics, including equity investments, Bpifrance loans, governmental supports, and regional grants.

The objective of this new fundraising round is to finalize the preclinical development allowing initiation of the first-in-man clinical trials. The investors who participated in the syndication are the Fournier-Majoie Foundation (Brussels), the investment fund management companies Capital Grand Est and FINOVAM Gestion, as well as the Angels Santé network.

"We are very pleased with this very significant fundraising round which demonstrates the confidence of investors in our peptide-based immuno-oncology approach as well as in our technology platform," enthused Dr. Albin Jeanne, President of Apmonia Therapeutics and co-inventor of the technology.

New therapeutic perspectives in oncology

Apmonia Therapeutics is developing a portfolio of peptide-based therapeutics targeting the tumor microenvironment and offering new therapeutic perspectives in oncology. This innovative strategy has already been recognized as a Laureate of the i-Lab innovation contest in 2020.

"This fundraising and the support of investors open new development perspectives for the company’s peptide platform and will allow the strengthening of the product pipeline with potential applications in various therapeutic areas," explains Abderrahim Lachgar, member of the Strategic Committee and co-founder of Apmonia Therapeutics.

Apmonia Therapeutics’ initial program, named AP-01, involves the use of a peptide (TAX2) that acts as a modulator of the tumor microenvironment, reprogramming vascularized tumors into poorly angiogenic ones, and activating immune cells. TAX2 is a selective therapeutic strategy that is specific to the interaction between TSP-1 and the CD47 receptor, which is different from competing approaches. By targeting TSP-1, the technology developed by Apmonia Therapeutics prevents CD47 from exerting its pro-tumor potential and restores an anti-tumor immune response. The demonstration of TAX2's preclinical efficacy in various cancer models has confirmed the relevance of this approach, which also presents potential synergies with other therapeutic modalities. Thus, the approach developed by Apmonia Therapeutics holds many hopes, particularly for the treatment of solid tumors.

"The quality of the team gathered around the project was a determining factor in supporting this project. Apmonia Therapeutics has both excellent scientific knowledge with Professor Stéphane Dedieu, the inventor of the TAX2 peptide, and Dr. Albin Jeanne, who is a scientist with real management skills, and the support of experts in biotechnology and immuno-oncology" concludes Stéphane Loze, member of the Strategic Committee, Director - Angels Santé.

The therapeutic approach of Apmonia Therapeutics is the result of work carried out by MEDyC Research Unit (CNRS UMR 7369) at University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), involving scientific teams working on the study of the communication mechanisms that establish between the tumor (cancerous and stromal cells) and the extracellular matrix, with the aim of identifying new therapeutic targets. A renowned Scientific Advisory Board including Dr. Alexandra Leary, Prof. Olivier Bouche and Prof. Armand Bensussan also supports the company's development.

"We are convinced by the innovative nature and potential of the technology developed by Apmonia Therapeutics. The originality of the approach combined with scientific rigor opens up very promising development prospects for better patient care," comments Jérôme Majoie, a member of the Strategic Committee and Chairman and CEO of the Fournier-Majoie Foundation.

About the Fournier-Majoie Foundation:

To save cancer patients, the Fournier-Majoie Foundation helps cancer researchers-finders to become successful entrepreneurs. In the seed phase, it provides financial resources (up to €2M per project), opens its networks and develops their entrepreneurial skills. The Foundation stands out by applying the principles of Venture Philanthropy, combining rigor, professionalism, and generosity. It allocates 100% of donations received to projects.
www.fournier-majoie.org

About FINOVAM Gestion:

FINOVAM GESTION is an AMF-accredited management company that supports entrepreneurs from the early stages of their project and throughout their subsequent development in five key sectors: Digital, Health and Biotechnology, Bioeconomy, Energy Transition and Industry of the Future. With a recognized experience in venture capital, the management team is spread over four sites (Lille, Amiens, Metz and Dijon) and puts its expertise and its network at the service of innovative companies in the three regions of Hauts-de-France, Grand Est and Bourgogne Franche-Comté. FINOVAM Gestion manages four investment funds for a total amount under management of 100 M€ and a portfolio of 60 innovative companies.
www.finovamgestion.fr

About Capital Grand-Est:

Capital Grand-Est is an independent regional private equity company approved by the AMF. Since 2012, the team of 10 employees of Capital Grand Est has supported more than 60 companies in the Grand Est and Bourgogne Franche-Comté regions. With nearly 200 M€ in assets under management spread over 5 investment vehicles, Capital Grand Est structures capital operations with different types of companies in the region, to accelerate their success. It offers young innovative start-ups capital support at the seed stage. For more mature companies, it structures capital-development operations to accelerate their growth, or capital-transmission operations to support their capital evolution.
www.capitalgrandest.eu - https://www.linkedin.com/company/capitalgrandest

About Angels Santé:

As the leading network of healthcare business angels in Europe, Angels Santé is at the heart of healthcare seed financing. Present in France, Angels Santé is also a key player in Europe as a member of the European Business Angels Europe (BAE) and European Business Angels Network (EBAN), as well as the operator of the EIT Health Investor Network program.

Angels Santé aims at:

> Detecting innovative European start-ups that propose to respond to the major challenges of the healthcare system with solutions that are both medically beneficial and economically responsible.

> Supporting their seed phase by providing capital and expertise from its specialists.

> Uniting general investors around its investment recommendations.

www.angelssante.fr

About Apmonia Therapeutics:

Apmonia Therapeutics is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of anti-cancer strategies that offer high selectivity in the targeting of pro-tumor molecules. Based in Reims, France, the company is developing a portfolio of peptide-based therapeutics targeting the tumor microenvironment and offering new therapeutic perspectives, particularly for the treatment of solid tumors. Apmonia Therapeutics' initial program, named AP-01, consists of a peptide (TAX2) targeting elements of the extracellular matrix. It is a TSP-1/CD47 axis antagonist that works in a different approach than competing strategies. By targeting TSP-1, the technology developed by Apmonia Therapeutics prevents CD47 from exercising its pro-tumor potential. This technology is the result of work carried out by MEDyC Research Unit (CNRS UMR 7369) of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), within the team led by Professor Stéphane Dedieu. Winner of the i-Lab innovation contest in 2020, Apmonia Therapeutics has raised 5.3 M€ in funding since its founding in 2019 and is aiming to initiate first-in-man clinical trials soon.
www.apmonia-therapeutics.com

Press contact:

Agence Acorelis - Gilles Petitot - 33 6 20 27 65 94 - [email protected]

Apmonia Therapeutics - 33 3 26 91 89 84 - [email protected]

Record changed: 2024-03-30

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