ImCheck Therapeutics today announced the closing of a €96 million ($103 million) funding round, including a €80 million ($86 million) Series C funding round led by Early Bird and Indira Partners and the final Series B tranche conversion. In Series C shares (16 million euros – 17.2 million US dollars). He also joined the Invus Tour and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Existing investors including Korma Partners Growth Opportunities Fund, Orazio, GEMF, Pfizer Ventures, BabyFrance, Wellington Partners, Purus Bioventures, Wakeel Capital and Alexandria Ventures have participated in the process. With a very comfortable cash position today, the company is further cementing its leadership in the field of gamma delta T lymphocytes.
Funds will be prioritized to continue the EVICTION clinical trial that is currently evaluating ICT01, the lead candidate for ImCheck, as monotherapy and in combination with a PD-1 antagonist in a wide range of solid tumors and hematology. In particular, they will make it possible to continue the trial expansion phase (Phase II A) and complete the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Phase II B). The company will also invest in the clinical development of ICT01 in combination with other therapeutic agents, including IL-2, in the new EVICTION-2 clinical trial. This funding will also allow to accelerate the clinical introduction of other antibodies from its portfolio, in immuno-oncology but also in autoimmune and infectious diseases. It will also enable the company to strengthen its teams dedicated to clinical operations and regulatory affairs in Europe and the United States.
“Since its inception, ImCheck has benefited from the support of a syndicate of major international investors. In a very tense financial market, we have successfully raised funds with the participation of strategic funds in the United States and Europe. We are now in the best conditions to deliver the enormous promise of our therapeutic antibody suite. “said Pierre Debenaux, president of ImCheck Therapeutics. “The ImCheck site is unique and exclusive across the entire butyrophilin family. They allow immune modulation of the cells of the innate and adaptive immune system, which can be fundamental in the treatment of many diseases. Today we are pleased to have the support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America, the largest patient association dedicated to fighting blood cancers. »
On the occasion of this funding round, Florent Gross (Early Bird) and Raphael Wisniewski (Indira Partners) joined the company’s board of directors.
Florent Gross, Partner at Early Bird, Comments, “ImCheck’s approach to immuno-oncology is highly divergent. It has demonstrated in its clinical trials its ability to activate gamma delta T lymphocytes, an area of immunotherapy with great potential that is of great interest in the biopharmaceutical community. At Early Bird, we support companies that dare to think differently, and ImCheck’s innovative immune modulation concept can make a difference on many counts. »
Raphaël Wisniewski, Partner at Andera Partners says, “Immune checkpoint inhibitors heralded a new era in cancer treatment and ImCheck Therapeutics is at the forefront of the next generation of these immunotherapies. We have followed the progress of the management team in implementing their ocular therapeutic approach, based on butyrophyllin compounds, both in early development and in their high value-added clinical program. At Andera Partners, we are confident that the company will develop its advanced technology to meet the needs of patients in a range of oncological indications and possibly autoimmune and infectious diseases. »
The ImCheck Therapeutics approach aims to circumvent the immune system’s tumor resistance mechanisms by modulating the action of a new family of immune checkpoints: butyrophilins (BTN). In turn, BTNs mobilize a wide range of immune cells, including gamma delta T cells, CD3s, CD8s, NK cells, and macrophages, combining innate and adaptive immune responses. The company’s comprehensive antibody suite is based on immunomodulation of BTNs and is intended to stimulate the immune response in cancers or infectious diseases or reduce it in autoimmune diseases.
Hans Henrik Christensen, Chief Financial Officer, ImCheck Therapeutics, adds, “Today, ImCheck has raised a total of 154 million euros. Thanks to the support of our historical investors and newcomers, we have a cash horizon to 2026 that allows us to explore the full potential of ICT01.”