UK – Spirea Limited, a Cambridge, England, UK-based company created to advance a new generation of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, raised £2.4m in funding.
The round was co-led by Jonathan Milner and Cambridge Enterprise with participation from R42 Group, ACF Investors, o2h Ventures, Syndicate Room and the Cambridge Angels. The company will use the funds to initiate its pipeline of differentiated ADCs in the treatment of solid tumours. ADCs combine the cell killing activity of a cytotoxic drug with the cancer targeting capability of a monoclonal antibody. Led by Dr Myriam Ouberai, Chief Executive Officer, Spirea has developed a technology platform that allows more cytotoxic drug to be attached to the targeting antibody (a higher drug-to-antibody ratio) which means more drug is delivered to the cancer cell. This allows for the development of stable and tailored ADCs incorporating a variety of drug payloads at varying levels of potency and different modes-of-action. This will result in cancer therapeutics with significantly better efficacy and safety profiles.Spirea, a spin-out from the University of Cambridge, has previously received investment from IP Group, Cambridge Enterprise, Start Codon, Jonathan Milner, o2h Ventures and Syndicate Room, and is supported by a number of successful, high-profile board members from the life sciences.14/06/2022
