NEWS / BLOG
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April 26, 2019
Belgium authorities approve study for Atriva
We recently announced the closing of Atriva’s series A financing which was needed to support the first-in-humans study. There is already more good news to share about this successful company; as the Belgium authorities have approved that study! The first patient is anticipated next month.
Since the beginnings back in 2015, the team of viral researchers based in Germany have progressed efficiently through research and preclinical development to be able to start clinical trials in 2019.
Their MEK inhibitor has the potential to become a resistance-avoiding influenza therapy. According to the CDC, 8% of the U.S population gets symptomatic influenza each season on average. In addition, there is a seemingly never-ending resistance that develops as new viral strains infect patients every season. By targeting a common pathway such as MEK, Atriva is hoping to get past this particular obstacle.
As always, InSynchrony Ventures is delighted to continue supporting the development of this novel and broadly active therapy.
Click here to know more about Atriva
Click here for any questions regarding InSynchrony Ventures.
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January 31, 2019
Atriva Therapeutics proceeds towards the clinic with virus replication inhibitor
Since its founding in 2015 by a leading team of viral research scientists in Germany, Atriva has progressed immensely with the development of a small molecule viral replication inhibitor. We announced our participation in its seed round of financing back in July 2017, and the participation of the co-lead investor High-Tech Gründerfonds in September of the same year.
Since then, their lead product ATR-002, a first-in-class inhibitor targeting host cell MEK, has completed preclinical development and a request for scientific advice has recently been filed at a European regulatory agency. Atriva plans to start its Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers in 2019. Atriva has just announced the first closing of its series A financing round, which provides them with capital to enter first-in-humans clinical testing.
InSynchrony Ventures is delighted to continue supporting the development of this novel and potentially broadly active therapy.
Click here to know more about Atriva’s recent development.
Click here for any questions regarding InSynchrony Ventures.
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July 27, 2018
Vaxdyn joins the BEAM alliance
According to the CDC, “antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health”. Antibiotic resistance, also known as anti-microbial resistance (AMR), presents the pharmaceutical industry with an increasingly difficult task to discover and develop new antibiotics and therefore, alternative solutions to solve this issue are urgently required. Vaccines represent such an alternative since they help limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by reducing the number of patients infected by the bacteria in the first place, thereby reducing the number of patients who go on a course of antibiotics.
Acinetobacter Baumannii
Existing vaccines are useful of course, but there are many prevalent bacterial diseases for which no vaccine has yet been developed. According to the WHO, the 3 bacteria against which the fight should be prioritized are:
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Acinetobacter baumannii
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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Enterobacteriaceae
Vaxdyn, a Spanish company based in Seville (and a key member of the InSynchony Ventures investment portfolio) is developing a vaccine directed against Acinetobacter baumannii, WHO’s number 1 priority!
Earlier this year, Vaxdyn joined almost 50 other companies in BEAM (Biotech companies in Europe combating AntiMicrobial Resistance) to strengthen their collaboration while they all develop novel products. Together, the BEAM Alliance members aim to influence and encourage the creation of new incentives to fast-track finding new tools to fight AMR.
InSynchrony is proud to be working closely with Vaxdyn in this exciting and essential field of bacterial vaccines and we will keep you updated as the story evolves.
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November 21, 2017
Cetya Therapeutics receives technology transfer grant for potential sickle cell treatment
Colorado-based Cetya Therapeutics (“Cetya”) is part of InSynchrony Ventures’ investment portfolio and we are excited to share that they were recently awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant of $240,000. This grant will act to further the reach of Cetya’s $220,000 funding round, led by InSynchrony Ventures and finalized in May 2017. Dean Wenham, the CEO of InSynchrony Ventures, serves on Cetya’s board of directors and believes this grant will be key to developing this innovative class of drugs.
The STTR grant focuses on funding one of Cetya’s technologies as a potential preventative treatment for sickle cell disease. Promising early data suggests this technology may specifically upregulate fetal hemoglobin. Fetal hemoglobin varies significantly from the altered form found in those with sickle cell disease, and even small increases in fetal hemoglobin have been found to provide a lifetime decrease in the symptoms of the disease. Cetya may be able to develop a potential preventative treatment for this painful, chronic, and common genetic illness.
With the funds from this STTR grant, Cetya and their research partners at Boston University and Colorado State University will analyze the effects of this unique technology on cells taken from sickle cell patients. In conjunction with the “smart funding” provided by InSynchrony ventures earlier this year, Cetya is poised to perform the necessary research to bring their innovative preventative treatment for sickle cell disease to the pipeline as well as further their HDAC program in their lead program for oncology.
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November 21, 2017
InSynchrony Ventures joins High-Tech Gründerfonds in the seed financing of Atriva Therapeutics
We announced our participation in the seed financing of Atriva Therapeutics back in July and are delighted to draw your attention to a news release from the co-lead investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF).
Atriva was founded in 2015 by a leading team of viral research scientists in Tübingen, Germany to repurpose MEK inhibitors as potential anti-viral drugs. Their lead product, ATR-002, is an optimized MEK inhibitor to treat acute influenza in high-risk patients. It’s on a fast-track development plan, and has just passed a major preclinical milestone confirming the drug as a clinical candidate. This financing will give ATR-002 the fuel needed to reach clinical proof of concept by late 2019, and marks the first of Atriva’s innovative medicines to reach clinical development.
We at InSynchrony Ventures are excited to be part of this breakthrough program and we will keep you updated as the program advances.
For any questions regarding InSynchrony Ventures, please contact us at info@insynchronyventures.com
