NodThera bags US$55m in Series B round

As Novo Ventures led the round, Nanna Lüneborg, Partner at Novo Ventures, joined NodThera Ltd’s board. Cowen Healthcare Investments and Sanofi Ventures, as well as Series A investors 5AM Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Sofinnova Partners and Seed investor Epidarex Capital participated in the €49.3m financing.  The Edinburgh-headquartered specialists for blockers of the innate immune system so far has received US$95m in funding.

NodThera started its research into inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome four years ago by aquiring the NALP3 inflammasome modulator SEL212 from Selvita, which had undergone four years of lead optimisation/preclinical research then, through granting Selvita a minority interest of 39%. The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex functioning as a stress sensor of the innate immune system, which triggers proinflammatory IL-1beta- and IL18-driven immune reactions in response to danger signals. Targeting NLRP3 overactivity has huge therapeutic potential because it can block subliminal chronic inflammations which can trigger fibrosis, about 30% of cancers, autoimmune diseases, neurodegeneration or metabolic diseases such as diabetes. According to NodThera, 60% of people die due to chronic inflammatory diseases. SEL212 has been renamed to NT-0167 and is now in pre-IND stage.

NodThera primarily wants to use the Series B proceeds to support development of NT-0167 and future NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors such as brain-penetrant NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors for central nervous system indications.