Therini Bio – a clinical-stage biotech company developing fibrin-targeting immunotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases driven by vascular dysfunction – announced that it raised $39 million in a Series A extension financing. This extension financing included new investors, Angelini Ventures and Apollo Health Ventures, along with existing investors SV Health Investors’ Biotech Fund and Dementia Discovery Fund, MRL Ventures Fund, Sanofi Ventures, Eli Lilly and Company, Dolby Family Ventures, and Foundation for a Better World. This financing funding Therini Bio’s Series A, bringing the total to $75 million.
Therini Bio seeks to target the underlying causes of neurodegeneration. Factors like aging, genetics and prevalent diseases like hypertension and diabetes lead to vascular dysfunction and the accumulation of toxic fibrin deposits outside of blood vessels. And these deposits induce chronic neuroinflammation, resulting in neuronal damage and severe neurogenerative diseases. Therini Bio has developed a novel approach aimed at treating these devastating diseases by specifically targeting the inflammatory epitope on fibrin to halt the destructive effects of neuroinflammation.
THN391: THN391 is a potential first-in-class high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody designed to selectively block fibrin-mediated neuroinflammation without affecting coagulation pathways, demonstrated activity in preventing vascular and neuronal degeneration in preclinical studies of AD and retinal diseases. And in a recent Phase 1a trial, THN391 was well-tolerated in healthy volunteers, showed no adverse hematological effects or impact on coagulation and fibrinolysis, lacked an anti-drug antibody response and had dose-proportional pharmacokinetics with a half-life supporting monthly dosing. Supported by the current data and financing, the experienced team at Therini Bio is preparing to begin dosing patients in Phase 1b trials evaluating THN391 in AD and DME.
What the funding will be used for: Therini Bio anticipates using the funding for Phase 1b trials evaluating its lead candidate THN391 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), as well as support development of a fibrin/VEGF bispecific.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are deeply grateful to partner with such a distinguished investor group, both new and old. Their support enables us to significantly advance our shared vision of delivering patients a rational, innovative approach to potentially treat their debilitating conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and Diabetic Macular Edema. We look forward to advancing the Phase 1b trials to demonstrate the potential benefit of this novel mechanism in patients.”
Tara Nickerson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Therini Bio and an industry veteran who also played an instrumental role previously in several prominent private and public biotech financings, including as Chief Business Officer of Maze Therapeutics and Prothena Biosciences
”We are proud to support Therini Bio’s mission to address the underlying vascular and inflammatory drivers of neurodegenerative disease through a truly novel approach. As an active CNS investor, we are excited about Therini’s first-in-class selective antibody therapy targeting fibrin-mediated inflammation, offering a groundbreaking path to transform the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and DME.”
Thomas Thestrup, Senior Principal at Angelini Ventures, who led the investment on behalf of Angelini Ventures
