Infinitopes has expanded its seed financing to $35.1 million, adding $15.4 million in a second close that the company says will accelerate clinical development of its lead precision cancer vaccine candidate, ITOP1. The financing was co-led by Octopus Ventures and new investor Amplify Bio, with additional participation from new investor Macmillan Cancer Support and existing backers Cancer Research Horizons and Manta Ray Ventures.
The Oxford-linked biotech is preparing to launch a first-in-human, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study of ITOP1 designed to help prevent recurrence in oesophageal cancer following surgical resection. The trial, a Phase I/IIa program named VISTA, is expected to run across multiple UK NHS university cancer centres and will evaluate safety and early signals of activity as Infinitopes seeks proof of concept for what it describes as an off-the-shelf vaccine platform informed by AI and machine learning.
The company positions ITOP1 in an area of high unmet need, noting that recurrence remains a significant challenge in oesophageal cancer. Infinitopes’ approach combines precision target discovery with high-efficiency vector delivery systems, aiming to generate durable immune responses across solid tumour indications. The company has indicated that it expects to share early findings at major conferences later this year.
Infinitopes is supported by Cancer Research UK and the University of Oxford and is based in the Oxford ecosystem, where it is currently the largest tenant of Oxford University’s BioEscalator innovation accelerator. The company has also highlighted prior recognition from the UK regulator: it received an Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway innovation passport from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2022. In addition, Infinitopes has received two maximum-size non-dilutive awards from Innovate UK, including a Cancer Therapeutics Award in 2022 and a Future Economy Investor Partnership award in 2023.
The expanded seed round adds a new U.S. investor to the cap table, with Amplify Bio describing momentum in the broader cancer vaccine field and citing Infinitopes’ immunomics profiling, vector approach, and clinical strategy as key differentiators. Alongside institutional investors, Macmillan Cancer Support’s participation brings a patient-care organisation into the financing syndicate.
Infinitopes said it has built internal capabilities spanning antigen discovery, immunology, vaccinology, oncology, biomanufacturing, clinical trials, and regulatory functions. Since its incorporation, the company says it has raised more than $35.1 million from a group of sector-focused investors and organisations, including Cancer Research Institute, Kindred Capital, Martlet, Meltwind, Saras Capital, Wilbe, and Fundación CRIS Contra el Cáncer. The company has grown from three academic co-founders to a team of roughly 20 full-time equivalents.
The funding is intended to support execution of the VISTA trial and advance Infinitopes’ broader platform ambitions in precision oncology. While the company has described ITOP1 as its lead candidate, it has also framed the underlying technology as applicable to multiple solid tumour settings, with the near-term focus on demonstrating clinical feasibility and early efficacy signals in oesophageal cancer.
KEY QUOTES:
“I’m honoured to welcome leading US West Coast biofund Amplify Bio and ecosystem champions for better patient care, Macmillan, onto our cap table. This new funding unlocks our potentially groundbreaking Phase I/IIa trial, enabling proof-of-concept evaluation of Infinitopes’ AI/ML-precision targeted, off-the-shelf vaccine platform to prevent recurrence after surgical resection. We aim to lead the development of innovative medicines that bring hope to patients suffering from cancers with unmet medical needs. We anticipate sharing our early findings at major conferences later this year.”
Jonathan Kwok, Chief Executive Officer, Infinitopes
“Recent clinical evidence has made it abundantly clear that the time for cancer vaccines is now. After years of searching, Infinitopes has clearly distinguished itself as the company positioned to drive this progress forward. The combination of rigorous AI-powered immunomics profiling, a highly scalable off-the-shelf vector, and a defined clinical strategy is exactly what this field needs. Infinitopes has the potential to redefine immunotherapy and precision oncology in the years to come.”
Elliot Hershberg, Partner, Amplify Bio
