BI Venture Funds invests in oncolytic bacteria
With an investment of its venture arm (BI-VF), Boehringer Ingelheim underlines its committment to expand the reach of cancer immune therapies. The Series A financing in Chinese Synthetica Pioneering that engineers oncolytic bacteria to deliver toxic payloads or modulators of the tumour environment to solid tumours follows an investment in T3 Pharmaceuticals.
Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd. – briefly Synthetica – has bagged a Series A financing of undisclosed amount led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Temasek. Lenovo Capital, Fosun Health Capital and ATLATL Summer Fund also participated in the financing. The assets will be used to fast-track Synthetica’s genetically engineered oncolytic bacteria into clinical trials.
The one year old start-up is specialised in genetic circuit engineering and precise control of genes and payloads to treat various diseases, but is currently focused on developing oncolytic bacterial therapies to eliminate solid tumours. Synthetica Pioneering has a 3rd generation synbio Salmonella typhimurium strain dubbed DB1 under development, which prevented recurrence of metastases from a in a mouse model for colorectal cancer when administered systemically. The circuit includes two switches that prevent expression of a payload in normal cells but promote proliferation of the bacteria in the tumour micoenvironment. Thus it appears as DB1 could be a good combination for PD1/PDL1 inhibitors to boost the immune response.
Synthetica’s CEO, Yingke He stated: “Securing this funding marks a pivotal moment for our young company as we advance the frontier of cancer treatment. Our innovative synthetic biology approach to developing oncolytic bacteria offers new hope for more effective and targeted therapies.”
Last year Boehringer Ingelheim added a bacterial cancer therapy platform to its pipeline portfolio that can deliver immune-modulating proteins to cancer cells and tumour micro-environments with the acquisition of T3 Pharmaceuticals. The new funding may expand Swiss T3 Pharmaceuticals’ approach that is focused on Yersinia enterocolitica.
Despite the significant transformation of the cancer treatment landscape by immunotherapies, long-term remissions only occur in 15-20% of cancer patients. Boehringer Ingelheim want to bring the benefits of immuno-oncology to more cancer patients with a comprehensive portfolio of therapies that boost the immune system and direct it towards cancer cells. Next generation bacterial cancer treatment platforms in smart combinations with other immuno-oncological and cancer cell-directed treatments may have the potential to increase benefits of therapies that target hot tumours.
„Oncolytic bacterial therapy represents a completely new therapeutic modality based on various bacterial strains with a large variety of therapeutic activities and is therefore a strategic focus of our investments,” said Frank Kalkbrenner, Global Head of the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund. “The acquisition of T3 Pharma has already resulted in the addition of a therapy platform to Boehringer Ingelheim’s pipeline. We are thus very excited to support Synthetica in advancing next-generation bacterial therapies based on synthetic biology technology with the ultimate goal of transforming the lives of more people living with cancer.”
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