Cancer Biotech Startup, Infinitopes Secures £12.8Million in Seed Funding – FUNDING NEWS

The round was heavily oversubscribed, also drawing in funds from Cancer Research Horizons, Cancer Research Institute, CRIS Cancer Foundation, Kindred Capital, Manta Ray, Martlet Capital, Meltwind Advisory, Saras Capital, Wilbe Capital, and expert angel investors.

The total funds raised combine new equity investment and a prestigious non-dilutive award from Innovate UK’s Future Economy Investor Partnership scheme.

Since incorporation in 2021, Infinitopes has moved swiftly to cement its leadership position in cancer vaccines by overcoming three key challenges in the field. Firstly, using its Precision ImmunomicsTM antigen discovery technologies, the Company can identify and rank tumour signatures, without prior bias, enabling the accurate selection of novel, synergistic tumour targets.

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Secondly, Infinitopes continues to develop safe and effective, proprietary vector delivery systems, capable of stimulating durable T-cell responses necessary to prevent the recurrence of life-threatening cancer metastases. Finally, the Company leverages its deep knowledge of immunology, partnering with disease KOLs, in order to optimally schedule therapies to drive maximal protection for patients.

The new investment accelerates the installation of best in class, next generation LC-MS/MS mass spectrometer equipment, enhancing the company’s proprietary tumour antigen discovery and computational immunobiology/AI/machine learning techniques, to identify and rank the best target combinations, to treat five more cancers.

Jonathan Kwok, CEO and co-founder of Infinitopes said: "Since founding in September 2021, Infinitopes has established world leading capabilities to design, develop, and clinically evaluate an exciting new class of precision targeted, durable cancer vaccines. Our therapies are emerging at a time when blockbuster checkpoint inhibitors are hitting their peak, capable of preventing tumour recurrence in 30-40 per cent of patients at best. Our preclinical results suggest that our vaccines may significantly outperform them, to transform care for future cancer patients. We’re excited to announce this fundraise, which enables us to pursue our uniquely integrated strategy of selecting the right targets, with the right vectors, for the right patients, at the right time in their treatment journey. We continue to seek academic and Big Pharma collaborators, smart technical investors, and passionate new hires and interns to join our mission to cure cancer."

Phil Masterson, Associate Director, Cancer Research Horizons commented: "Infinitopes is at the forefront of the cancer vaccine revolution emerging from Covid-era technology advances. Cancer Research Horizons’ investment strategy focuses on maximising patient impact – Infinitopes is empowering the immune system to fight the cancer metastases that cause 70 to 90 percent of cancer deaths through better targeting, better delivery mechanisms and better clinical trials. We are delighted to support the building of a leading company based on innovative CRUK-funded foundational science."

Hugo Villanueva, Octopus Ventures, said: "At Octopus Ventures, we back the entrepreneurs who are revitalising healthcare. The Infinitopes team is a great example of this ─ their work to design, develop and clinically assess novel cancer vaccines is incredibly important, and we’re delighted to support them in their work to combat cancer."

About Infinitopes

Infinitopes Ltd is a soon to be clinical stage, integrated cancer biotechnology company supported by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the University of Oxford. The Company combines two world leading platforms, in precision antigen discovery and in high efficiency, vector delivery systems, to develop immunologically durable vaccines for use against multiple solid tumour indications.

The lead vaccine candidate is expected to begin phase I/IIa trials in Q3 2024. Infinitopes has cultivated in-house talent across antigen discovery, immunology, vaccinology, oncology, biomanufacturing, trials and regulation, winning an ‘Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway’ (ILAP) innovation passport from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2022.