Actithera, a radiopharmaceutical biotech company, has closed an oversubscribed $75.5 million Series A financing round. The company’s platform combines rational drug design with radiochemistry to create novel small-molecule radioligands, utilizing first-in-class covalent targeting strategies designed to enhance precision, safety, and efficacy by optimizing tumor residence time while ensuring rapid systemic clearance. And this approach has yielded a FAP-directed RLT development candidate with best-in-class potential.
Founder and CEO Dr. Andreas Goutopoulos, with over 25 years of industry experience, is leading Actithera’s chemistry-driven, precision approach to RLTs. Several new partners from the lead investors will join Actithera’s Board of Directors.
How the funding will be used: The funding, co-led by M Ventures, Hadean Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, and 4BIO Capital, will drive the clinical development of Actithera’s lead FAP asset and further expand its proprietary radioligand therapy (RLT) discovery platform and preclinical pipeline.
KEY QUOTES:
“We set out to bring structure-based and kinetics-driven thinking from small molecule drug design into the world of radiopharmaceuticals. This oversubscribed Series A, backed by a truly global and experienced investor syndicate, is strong validation of our approach. We engineer our radioconjugates for extended retention within tumors, making them ideally suited for longer-lived radionuclides and ultimately delivering more convenient dosing schedules and enhanced efficacy and safety for patients.”
Dr. Andreas Goutopoulos
“Actithera is applying Big Pharma discipline to an emerging field with enormous potential. Its radioligand therapies represent a meaningful shift in oncology, with the opportunity to redefine the therapeutic index. We’re excited to support that vision.”
Karl Naegler, incoming Board member and Partner at Sofinnova Partners
“Actithera stands out as one of the most thoughtfully constructed radiopharma platforms we’ve seen, combining smart molecular design with a deep understanding of tumor biology and clinical need. The team’s work to align pharmacokinetics with therapeutic effect could transform how patients experience and benefit from radioligand therapies.”
Roger Franklin, incoming Board member and Partner at Hadean Ventures
“We are honored to support Actithera, whose molecules address key challenges in the nascent radioligand therapies space; a large therapeutic window through high tumor retention and low systemic exposure, applied to a lead program that has significant pan-tumor therapeutic potential.”
Therese Liechtenstein, incoming Board member and Investment Director at 4BIO Capital
“We are excited to see Actithera evolve from the one-person ideation we seeded with Andreas and Arkin to the transatlantic company it has become today. The innovative chemistry platform built and the first-in-class approach on FAP have the potential for a large impact in the RLT field and a significant benefit for patients. We welcome the new investor group and Board members to the company aligned with this bold vision of building the next generation of RLTs.”
Hakan Goker, current Chairman of Actithera, and Managing Director at M Ventures
