Spanish Cancer Startup Highlight Therapeutics Raises €15M To Advance Skin Tumor Treatments

The round was backed by Buenavista Equity Partners through its BV Healthcare Growth Innvierte I (BHG I) fund, in collaboration with Columbus Venture Partners.

Founded in 2013, Highlight Therapeutics is a biotech firm specialising in immuno-oncology, dedicated to developing innovative cancer treatments. Its lead candidate, BO-112, is a double-stranded RNA immunotherapy designed to strongly activate the immune system and boost tumour response. The company, in collaboration with CNIO, is running clinical trials across multiple hospitals.

Marisol Quintero, CEO of Highlight Therapeutics, said: “Buenavista’s investment enables us to strengthen our team and consolidate our position as a leading company in the development of treatments for skin tumours.”

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Buenavista’s investment will help Highlight Therapeutics push forward BO-112, its main drug candidate, now in Phase 2b trials for basal cell carcinoma, the most common cancer with over six million cases in Europe and the US. BO-112 has already shown promise against aggressive melanoma and could soon be applied to other tumour types.

Discovered in 2009 at CNIO, BO-112 tricks the body into thinking it’s fighting a viral infection, activating the immune system to attack cancer cells, even those resistant to existing treatments.

The company has also appointed Abel Riera as Chief Business Officer to strengthen its leadership team, with more hires planned.

Nuria Osés, Managing Partner of Healthcare Growth at Buenavista, commented: “Highlight’s strategy is fully aligned with BHG I’s vision of supporting therapies with high transformative potential, a strong scientific foundation, and a clear focus on specific medical needs. Its collaboration with leading institutions such as the CNIO and its commitment to developing accessible treatments further strengthen the project’s credentials. We are very excited to support them in this new phase.”

Today’s investment is the third by the BV Healthcare Growth Innvierte I fund. The fund has already invested in Syngoi, which makes synthetic DNA, and Quibim, a company using AI-powered imaging to improve precision medicine.

About Highlight Therapeutics

Highlight Therapeutics, formerly Bioncotech Therapeutics, is a clinical-stage biotech focused on immuno-oncology. Its lead candidate, BO-112, is an RNA-based therapy designed to activate strong immune responses and make resistant tumors visible. Currently in multiple clinical trials, it is also being studied with partners like Merck & Co and UCLA.