Microbiome-based Biotech Enterome Scores $38.5M in Series D
The French clinical-stage biotech company, Enterome pioneering innovative therapies to treat microbiome-associated diseases with a focus on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and immuno-oncology (IO) indications, has now announced that it has raised €32 million in a Series D financing.
The money will help Enterome to push its oral Crohn’s disease drug, EB8018, through Phase II and its immuno-oncology candidate, EO2315, into Phase I.
EB8018 is an oral small molecule that represents a non-immunomodulatory approach to the treatment of Crohn’s Disease. Instead, it inhibits FimH-mediated binding of inflammatory bacteria that are invading the gut, which helps to reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor (TNF). EO2315 was discovered using Enterome’s technology platform, which identifies bacterial antigens that are similar to cancer antigens. These bacterial antigens trigger a strong immune response against cancers in animal models, allowing the effective treatment of the disease.
All current investors – Seventure, Health for Life Capital, LundbeckFonden Ventures, Omnes Capital and Nestlé Health Science – participated in the round, alongside new venture investor Principia SGR and strategic investor Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Pierre Belichard, Chief Executive Officer of Enterome, said: “We are very pleased to receive the funding and support from this group of current and new investors, who have recognized the potential, versatility, and uniqueness of our microbiome-derived drug discovery platform. The microbiome influences many areas of human disease through its effects on the immune system, and we believe that many new therapies will be discovered based on a greater understanding of its function. Enterome, which is at the forefront of this approach, is already developing two exciting programs based on this knowledge and this financing will allow us to progress these programs through the major inflection points of clinical proof of concept, and to expand our clinical work to additional inflammatory bowel diseases and oncology indications.
”“Enterome’s innovative research in the gut microbiome and its role in the immune system across cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases offers a tremendous opportunity to discover differentiated therapies to help patients,” said Paul Biondi, senior vice president, head of Business Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “We are excited to support their continued progress in microbiome-derived drug discovery and development.”
“Enterome has been the first investment of our microbiome fund Health for Life Capital,” said Seventure Partners CEO Isabelle de Cremoux. “We are proud to see that our initial support is backed by a unique mix of strategic and finance investors to support Enterome’s pipeline at a very exciting point of its development.“
