Alderaan Biotechnology raises €18.5M in Series A from Advent France Biotechnology (AFB) and Medicxi

Funding will help develop technologies to deplete Treg cells in cancer and boost NK cell cytotoxic activity
 
Paris, France, January 9, 2020 – Alderaan Biotechnology, a preclinical stage company focused on monoclonal antibodies development for the treatment of cancer, announces today the successful completion of a Series A funding of €18.5M ($20.7M) from investors Advent France Biotechnology (AFB) and Medicxi. This follows a seed funding round of €1.5M ($1.7M) in 2017, led by AFB.
 
Founded by Pr Armand Bensussan, head of the Skin Research Centre, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, and Pr Daniel Olive, head of the Immunity and Cancer team at Institut Paoli Calmette, Marseille, Alderaan Biotechnology focusses on developing technologies to deplete regulatory T (Treg) cells in cancer and to boost Natural Killer (NK) cell cytotoxic activity in cancer, both emerging as new immunotherapy modalities.
 
This funding round will support the finalization of preclinical development to reach Phase I clinical stage, with the company’s Treg depleting CD25-specific antibodies, by 2022. In parallel, the financing will also help validate the in vivo therapeutic potential of the NK asset related to the activating NK cell receptor CD160-TM (Alderaan’s second program).
 
Both Medicxi and AFB, represented by Michèle Ollier and Matthieu Coutet respectively, will co-lead the new investment as board directors.
 
“I am very pleased to welcome Medicxi to the company; its capital investment signals an exciting stage for Alderaan,” said Arnaud Foussat, CEO of Alderaan Biotechnology. “Modulating regulatory T-cells in cancer has a great therapeutic potential in oncology – it could be a game changer. Our NK asset is earlier stage, but there is already a strong and encouraging interest from the pharmaceutical industry in the field.”
 
“We have been working alongside Alderaan since day one and we are thrilled to be part of this next stage of development,” said Matthieu Coutet, managing partner at Advent France Biotechnology. “Alderaan’s area of focus is drawing attention from big names in the industry and the company has a solid scientific team to support its rationale.”
 
“Alderaan perfectly fits with our aim, which is to invest in start-ups that have already reached scientific maturation and proof-of-concept,” said Michèle Ollier, partner at Medicxi. “The company’s technologies are very attractive to the pharmaceutical industry and could become key additional therapeutic tools for patients and health professionals.”

About Advent France Biotechnology
Advent France Biotechnology is an AMF regulated firm created in 2016. The team, managed by Alain Huriez and Matthieu Coutet, includes professionals with extensive scientific, medical and operational experience, as well as a long-standing track record of entrepreneurial and investment successes across Europe. AFB invests in a range of sectors within the life sciences, specifically in drug discovery and new medical technologies.
www.adventFB.com
 
About Medicxi
Medicxi is a European venture capital firm with the mission to create and invest in companies along the full drug development continuum. Medicxi was established by the former Index Ventures life sciences team, which has been active for over 20 years, and invests in both early and late-stage assets with a product vision that can fulfil a clear unmet need. GSK, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., Novartis and Verily (an Alphabet company) have invested in Medicxi funds.
www.medicxi.com
 
About Alderaan Biotechnology
Alderaan Biotechnology is a preclinical stage company focused on monoclonal antibodies development for the treatment of cancer with technologies aiming at Treg depletion and NK cell modulation. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Paris, Alderaan works with world-class teams in the field of immunomodulation and NK cell receptors. The company raised €1.5M ($1.7M) in 2017 from co-founder Advent France Biotechnology (AFB) and €18.5M ($20.7M) in 2019 from AFB and Medicxi.