Lava Therapeutics, a ‘S Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands-based developer of γδ T cell engaging bispecific antibodies to treat cancer, raised €16m in its first institutional financing round.
The round was led by Gilde Healthcare and Versant Ventures with participation from MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV), and founder investors Lupus Ventures and Biox Biosciences.
The company intends to use the funds for development of its proprietary pipeline of bispecific gamma-delta (γδ) T cell engagers for the treatment of cancer.
Founded in 2016, Lava Therapeutics has developed a proprietary platform focused on developing next generation γδ T cell engaging bispecific antibodies to treat cancer. Its first-in-class immuno-oncology approach activates Vγ9Vδ2 T cells upon binding to membrane-expressed tumor targets.
Lava Therapeutics is advancing research originating from the group of Dr. Hans van der Vliet at the VU University Medical Center and Cancer Center Amsterdam.
As part of the financing, LAVA established a Supervisory Board including:
– Stefan Luzi, PhD of Gilde Healthcare,
– Guido Magni, MD, PhD, of Versant Ventures and
– Reza Halse, PhD of MRLV.
They join Erik van den Berg, who will serve as Chairman of the Board, and biotech entrepreneur Jan van der Hoeven.
The company also announced the appointment of Paul Parren, PhD, as Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development.
FinSMEs
23/05/2018