Advertisement

Picture EBD Group World of Partnering Opportunities 650x100px
Document › Details

Aktis Oncology. (3/18/21). "Press Release: Aktis Oncology Announces $72m Series A Financing to Advance Breakthrought Radiopharmaceuticals to Treat Solid Tumors". Cambridge, MA.

Organisations Organisation Aktis Oncology (US)
  Organisation 2 Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS)
  Group Novartis (Group)
Products Product RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL (RPT)
  Product 2 venture capital
Index terms Index term Aktis Oncology–SEVERAL: investment, 202103 financing round Series A $72m co-led by MPM Capital + EcoR1 Capital + Vida Ventures
  Index term 2 Aktis Oncology–Novartis: investment, 202103 financing round Series A totalling $72m incl co-investor Novartis
Persons Person Roden, Matthew (Matt) (MPM Capital 2020– Executive Partner before BMS SVP Head of Strategy)
  Person 2 Bäuerle, Patrick (MPM Capital 201710 Managing Director formerly Micromet)
     


Company Founded by MPM Capital, with Financing Co-Led by MPM Capital, EcoR1 Capital and Vida Ventures

Proprietary Technology Platform Harnesses the Power of Alpha Particles to Target Solid Tumors

Company Led by Industry Veteran Matthew Roden, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer


Aktis Oncology, a biotechnology company discovering and developing a novel class of targeted radiopharmaceuticals to treat a broad range of solid tumor cancers, today announced completion of a $72 million Series A financing. The company was founded and incubated by MPM Capital, which co-led the financing with EcoR1 Capital and Vida Ventures, with participation from Octagon Capital, TCG Crossover, Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb.

“Aktis Oncology is building on recent successes in the radiopharmaceutical field, using a novel approach to extend the efficacy of targeted radiopharmaceuticals into a wide range of solid tumors,” said Todd Foley, Chairman of Aktis Oncology, and Managing Director of MPM Capital. “We’re incredibly excited by the science, the team and a world class syndicate of institutional and strategic investors that share in our vision to realize the potential of targeted radiotherapy to become a mainstream anti-cancer modality.”

Aktis Oncology is developing novel alpha radiotherapies to improve upon the efficacy of conventional solid tumor therapies, while limiting toxicity. The company has developed proprietary platforms to discover best-in-class tumor targeting agents designed with optimal pharmacology for delivering alpha radiotherapy. Aktis Oncology targeting agents are highly tumor penetrant but clear from other areas of the body quickly, to maximize tumor elimination while minimizing potential side effects of treatment.

“Alpha radiotherapy is the future of radiopharmaceuticals,” said Matthew Roden, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aktis Oncology. “By harnessing the power of alpha particles – with nearly 1000 times the potency of beta particles – we believe our approach has the potential to deliver game-changing results for patients.”

Aktis Oncology’s theranostic approach would also enable clinicians to visualize and verify target engagement prior to exposure to therapeutic radioisotopes, allowing for better selection of patients most likely to benefit from therapy. The company plans to produce multiple development candidates with potential for efficacy against well-validated cancer targets.

Aktis Oncology was founded by Brian Goodman, PhD, Patrick Baeuerle, PhD, and Todd Foley, of MPM Capital. The company is led by:

> Matthew Roden, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aktis Oncology. He is an Executive Partner of MPM Capital, and serves as Chairman of Turmeric Acquisition Corporation, and is a member of the boards of iTeos Therapeutics and NextPoint Therapeutics. Prior to joining MPM, Dr. Roden held senior leadership positions in the biopharma industry, most recently as Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb; he held senior roles in the capital markets, including serving as head of biotechnology equity research at UBS and as a senior biotechnology equity analyst at J.P. Morgan; and has scientific training in immunology, structural biology, and cancer biology.

> Paul Feldman, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Aktis Oncology. Prior to joining Aktis Oncology Dr. Feldman was the Head of Discovery and Translational Medicine at Intarcia Therapeutics. An accomplished drug discoverer and executive in the biopharmaceutical industry, he previously served as Senior Vice President at GlaxoSmithKline, leading the Enteroendocrine Discovery Performance Unit and GSK’S enterprise Chemistry Council, before retiring to co-found Phoundry Pharmaceuticals, a peptide hormone therapeutic company.

> Brian Goodman, PhD, Head of Operations and Corporate Development of Aktis Oncology. As part of the Investment and Operations Team at MPM Capital, he is responsible for investment identification, due diligence, business development, and new company creation at a number of MPM portfolio companies. He serves as a board observer for Orna Therapeutics and Triplet Therapeutics. Prior to joining MPM Capital, Dr. Goodman co-founded and served as Head of Technology and Innovation at Evelo Biosciences, a company focused on the pharmacology of microbial drugs across multiple therapeutic areas; and was a Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering.

Aktis Oncology is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. with laboratory operations in Research Triangle Park, NC.


About Aktis Oncology

Aktis Oncology is a biotechnology company pioneering the discovery and development of a new class of targeted radiopharmaceuticals to treat a broad range of solid tumor cancers. Founded and incubated by MPM Capital, the company has developed proprietary platforms to generate tumor targeting agents with ideal properties for alpha radiotherapy. Designed for high tumor penetration and long residence time, Aktis Oncology’s molecules will quickly clear other areas of the body, thereby maximizing tumor elimination while minimizing side effects of treatment. This approach would also enable clinicians to visualize and verify target engagement prior to exposure to therapeutic radioisotopes. To learn more about Aktis Oncology, visit www.aktisoncology.com.


Media Contact:

Lissette Steele
Verge Scientific Communications
lsteele@vergscientific.com
202.930.4762 ext. 409

   
Record changed: 2023-06-05

Advertisement

Picture Swiss Biotech Association Swiss Biotech Days 2024 SBD24 Basel 650x200px

To subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter for the European life sciences, please send an e-mail to info@iito.de and simply fill the subject line with the word »LSE Newsletter«

Find more infos about advertising at [iito] web portals in our media flyer [iito] in a Nutshell [PDF file]

Advertisement

Picture Swiss Biotech Association Swiss Biotech Days 2024 SBD24 Basel 650x300px




» top