Gadeta closes EUR 7 million Series A financing to advance novel cancer immunotherapies to the clinic
Utrecht, the Netherlands – March 29, 2016 – Gadeta B.V., a Dutch start-up company focused on the discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies based on gamma delta (γδ) T cell receptors, announced today the completion of a EUR 7 million Series A financing round led by Baxalta Ventures and Medicxi Ventures. Founders, management and Utrecht Holdings also participated. Geeta Vemuri from Baxalta Ventures and Michèle Ollier and Giovanni Mariggi from Medicxi Ventures will join the supervisory board. The company was founded by Dr. Jürgen Kuball, Mark de Boer, Utrecht Holdings and Medicxi Ventures (which provided seed capital).
Gadeta’s technology platform is based on the ground-breaking discoveries of Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kuball regarding the role of γδ T cell receptors in the broad recognition of the metabolic differences in hematological and solid tumor cells, and their potential use for the treatment of advanced malignancies. Dr. Kuball, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Gadeta, chairs the section of applied & tumor-immunology within the laboratory of translational immunology at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht), as well as the Department of Hematology (adults), and is the Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at the UMC Utrecht.
Mark de Boer, co-founder and acting CEO of Gadeta, said: “Supported by the Series A financing, we’re excited to accelerate our programs and rapidly advance them to the clinic. With its unique ability to target the metabolic changes in tumor cells, the strong therapeutic potential of our platform holds tremendous promise for the treatment of hematological and solid tumors.”
Gadeta expects to start a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of its lead program in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in early 2017. In parallel, the company intends to optimize a closed manufacturing system to allow for the start of a second clinical trial in solid tumors later in 2017
About Gadeta
Founded in 2015, Gadeta has developed a technology platform based on combinatorial T Cell receptor exchange (CTE) to create optimized gamma delta (γδ) T-cell receptors (TCRs) with an enhanced anti-cancer reactivity. Gadeta’s new cell-based anti-cancer product called T Cells Engineered To Express A Defined Gamma Delta TCR (TEGs) has strong therapeutic potential for combating and eradicating both hematological and solid tumors. This approach utilizes high-affinity γδ TCRs expressed on αβ T cells with superior proliferation capacity. For more information: www.gadeta.nl.
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Mark de Boer, PhD Hans Herklots (media)
acting-CEO Capricorn One
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