NodThera raised £28M (€32M) in a Series A round co-led by Sofinnova Partners and 5AM Ventures to develop treatments for chronic inflammation.
NodThera, based in Cambridge, UK, closed a substantial Series A financing round to develop its lead small molecule drug candidate to treat inflammatory diseases, as well as other drugs for neurodegenerative diseases and cancers.
The company’s approach inhibits a multi-protein complex called NLRP3, which usually helps start and regulate the immune system’s response to injuries, toxins, or infections. When NLRP3 is mistakenly activated, however, it can cause inflammation. Importantly, targeting NLRP3 affects only a part of the immune system while leaving other parts intact. This allows the body to continue to fight off disease.
Although there are other players in the inflammatory disease space, their technologies are also in their early stages. For example, German biotech InflaRx raised over €85M ($108M) in its IPO to develop monoclonal antibodies that target a part of the immune system called the complement system. Inflazome, based in Dublin, is targeting the same multiprotein complex as NodThera and raised €15M in a Series A round in 2016 to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease and cancer.
While chronic inflammation may sound like a small inconvenience, it can result in serious conditions like multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and transplant rejections. Finding appropriate treatment forms can significantly improve the well-being of patients.
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