Date: 2015-01-13
Type of information: Financing round
Company: Inflectis Bioscience (France)
Investors: Bpifrance (France) investor Participations Besançon (France) GO Capital (France)
Amount: €1.75 million
Funding type: financing round
Planned used: This first round of funding will allow Inflectis Bioscience to perform several in vivo studies with IFB-088 to select the first indication that the company will focus on to satisfy all of the regulatory preclinical stages. The first studies in humans are slated for 2017. A second chemical series, directed more broadly at degenerative diseases whose etiology lies in the accumulation of misfolded proteins, is also in the pipeline. IFB-088 is a selective inhibitor of PPP1R15A (GADD34), a stress-induced PP1 phosphatase regulatory subunit, involved in the unfolded protein response. PPP1R15A inhibition by IFB-088 sets the protein translation rate in stressed cells to a level manageable by the available cellular proteins that assist the protein folding (i.e.chaperones), thereby restoring proteostasis. Strikingly, IFB-088 is highly specific and acts only on stressed cells thus avoiding intolerably persistent inhibition of protein synthesis in non-stressed cells (i.e. normal cells). Unlike most competitors in the field, who are developing tailored drugs that target specific misfolded proteins or increase chaperone expression, IFB-088 aims at boosting the natural cellular defence system against misfolded proteins to correct protein folding defects and restore cell fitness in stressed cells only.The company shares global rights for the exploitation of a promising candidate drug, IFB-088, with the UK\'s Medical Research Council (MRC).
Others: * On January 13, 2015, InFlectis BioScience, a pharmaceutical drug discovery company focused on degenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding, has completed its seed funding round, having raised €1.75 million. A diverse group of investors has been attracted to the potential of the company\'s approach to hitherto untreatable chronic degenerative diseases such as Charcot-MarieTooth disease, Retinitis pigmentosa, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. InFlectis BioScience was founded in September 2013 by Philippe Guédat and Pierre Miniou.
Two successive wins in French Ministry of Higher Education and Research competitions in 2013 and 2014 (€300k) have helped to boost the company\'s profile with investors. In addition to the strong support offered by public sector investor Bpifrance (€300k), have come funds from venture capital firm GO Capital and private family investor Participations Besançon, who each contribute €500k. The remaining investment was made by the founders.
Therapeutic area: Rare diseases - Genetic diseases - Neurodegenerative diseases
