A Germany based biopharmaceutical enterprise, CatalYm GmbH which is developing immunotherapies for cancer has received €50m funding in a Series B round on 10th November 2020.
The round was led by the life sciences specialist venture capital – Vesalius Biocapital III with the participation from NVF and Wachstums Fonds Bayern. The representatives of NVF, Wachstums Fonds Bayern and Vesalius Biocapital III will be joining the board of CatalYm. The funding has brought a strong commitment for their new and existing investors to bring CTL-002 to provide clinical proof of concept.
Catalym is a European company that develops antibodies for a placental factor that is overexpressed by various kinds of tumor. They are developing immunotherapies that target GDF-15, Growth Differentiation Factor to help with the tumor microenvironment and improve treatment options for cancer patients.
The lead molecule- CTL-002
The lead molecule of CatalYm, CTL-002 is a hinge stabilized, humanized lg4 monoclonal (developed by cloning white blood cells) antibody that targets GDF-15. The human protein GDF-15 is a remote member from the beta super family of cytokines. The serum highly concentrated with GDF-15 with tumor microenvironment evades the immune systems and helps the tumors that are associated with resistance from the current therapies. The molecule mainly addresses three immune suppressive mechanisms of the tumor that are involved with effects of immunostimulatory interaction of ICAM-1/LFA-1. It is expected to enhance the current infiltrations of the immune cells of the tumor thereby improving killing of tumor by T and NK cells and priming of T-cells by the dendritic cells.
CatalYm has carried CTL-002 from academic studying to clinic in three years. It will be developed as a drug that can treat the disease alone with the combination approved antagonists PD-L1/PD-1 in checkpoint-blocker. CatalYm is active in developing its approach for overcoming the limitations that immunotherapies currently have and thereby aim at improving the survival rate and quality of life of the cancer patients. They are doing this by making tumors susceptible and accessible again for the immune system of the cancer patient.
About CatalYm
CatalYm is an enterprise founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Munich, Bayern, Germany. It was founded from initial funding from BGV and Forbion on the basis of research work by Professor Dr. Joerg Wischhusen. The company is backed by some international venture capitalists. They have received investment from EIF through the co-investment facility of EIB-EIF. Its team is led by a very experienced management committee consisting of biotechnology entrepreneurs CSO, Christine Schuberth-Wagner and CEO Dr. Manfred Rüdiger.
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