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PEP-Therapy raises €1.2 M to advance its therapeutic peptides

11/16/2017
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PEP-Therapy raises €1.2 M to advance its therapeutic peptides
The company continues the development of its portfolio of drug candidates and of their companion biomarkers in oncology
PEP-Therapy exploits patents from the Institut Curie
PEP thearpy logo web
Developing new, safe and efficient intracellular targeted therapies for personalized medicine of severe diseases, among which some cancers

PEP-Therapy, a biotechnology company which develops innovative peptides as targeted therapies based on an Institut Curie licenced technology, has achieved a second fundraising of €1.2 million. This investment, made by the Quadrivium 1 seed fund and Dr Bernard Majoie, and based on the results obtained so far, will enable PEP-Therapy to continue the development of its products portfolio, especially to undertake the regulatory development of PEP-010 associated with its biomarker to foresee the efficacy of the treatment.

These funds were provided by the Quadrivium 1 seed fund managed by Seventure Partners, supplemented by a personal investment from Dr Bernard Majoie, former Chairman and CEO of Laboratoires Fournier and Founding Chairman of Fondation Fournier-Majoie pour l'innovation. This fundraising will notably finance the preclinical regulatory development of the PEP-010 drug candidate, and the preparation of the phase 1 clinical trial, preliminary to a first-in-human administration planned for late 2018.

 
Antoine Prestat, CEO and co-founder of PEP-Therapy said: “This commitment of the Quadrivium 1 seed fund and of Dr Bernard Majoie shows their renewed confidence in the potential of the company, the quality and the management of the work accomplished so far. We are thankful to them. This new step moves PEP-Therapy closer to the clinic”.
 

PEP-010 is a Cell Penetrating & Interfering Peptide (CP&IP). It penetrates cells and specifically blocks the interaction between caspase-9 and PP2A proteins, thus inhibiting key pathological mechanisms. In animal models engrafted with primary human tumors, PEP-010 inhibits the tumor growth, without toxicity, even at high dose. PEP-Therapy targets first the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, before extending its clinical applications to other indications in oncology.
 

“PEP-Therapy has been able to face challenges to turn the result of ten years of research into a real drug candidate. Now the company holds all the cards needed to start the regulatory toxicity study of PEP-010" comments Dr Bernard Majoie.

 
PEP-010 is the most advanced product in PEP-Therapy’s portfolio. In addition, the company is developing a drug candidate for the treatment of uveal melanoma, a rare and very aggressive cancer of the eye, as well as other products based on the same innovative CP&IP technology.

 
“We are very enthusiastic about supporting a company such as PEP-Therapy which offers a real added value in targeted treatments for cancers that are still poorly treated. The company benefits from the favourable scientific ecosystem of prestigious institutions, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, and Institut Curie and Gustave Roussy for the future clinical trials. We are happy to contribute to the emergence of future European champions” declares Philippe Tramoy, Partner at the Quadrivium 1 seed fund at Seventure Partners.