Anoat Therapeutics raises €2M in seed funding to develop novel therapies for Cystic Fibrosis patients with high unmet medical need

Newly created biotech company first startup resulting from AdBio Partners and Inserm Transfert seed funding partnership

Anoat Therapeutics leveraging academic work generated by Pr. Harriet Corvol, MD, PhD, Dr. Olivier Tabary, PhD, Dr. Christie Mitri, PhD, and Dr. Florence Sonneville, PhD, from Inserm

Paris, France, June 19, 2023 – Anoat Therapeutics, a preclinical stage biotechnology company specialized in Cystic Fibrosis (CF), today announces it has raised €2M ($2.17M) in seed funding from AdBio partners, a venture capital company specialized in seed investments in life sciences startups. This investment from the AFB FII fund stems from the AdBio-Inserm Transfert partnership announced in May 2022 to finance, support and grow Europe’s most innovative life science startups. Anoat will use the funds to conduct additional in vivo and in vitro pharmacology assessments and select a lead candidate.

Anoat Therapeutics’ goal is to bring a transformative and mutation-agnostic treatment option to CF patients for whom existing therapies are not effective – i.e., patients not eligible or responsive to CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator) modulator therapies.

“We are thrilled to have co-founded this first company with Inserm Transfert, bringing together state-of-the-art science developed by Inserm researchers and leading biotech development experts. AdBio Partners’ mission is to support founding scientists in the development of new therapeutic approaches,” said Alain Huriez, MD, managing partner of AdBio Partners.

“The launch of this first company resulting from the alliance built with AdBio Partners just a year earlier is a great achievement. It shows that our respective fields of expertise complement each other and that a close relationship between Inserm Transfert and AdBio Partners facilitates the emergence and early financing of innovative life sciences companies. This is also designed to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities dedicated to researchers in academic labs, including Inserm,” added Pascale Augé, chairman of the executive management board at Inserm Transfert.

“Based on highly promising proof-of-concept data and relying on a network of physicians and patient associations, the Anoat team will strive to meet the medical needs of CF patients who, to date, remain without any treatment,” said Vincent Bischoff, CEO of Anoat Therapeutics. “We aim to provide a therapeutic option that will help alleviate the burden of their life-threatening condition. I am particularly proud to take on the role of CEO at this company, which brings together a team of exceptional scientists, seasoned biotech professionals and drug development experts.” 

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas and other organs. An estimated 105,000 people have been diagnosed with CF across 94 countries.

About Inserm Transfert

Inserm Transfert, the private subsidiary of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), is responsible for the value creation of innovations at Inserm and its academic partners in human health, and promotes long-term technology transfers in line with international best practices.

Inserm Transfert SA was founded in 2000. It manages, under a Public Service Management Contract (Délégation de Service Public), the entire promotion and transfer of knowledge emerging from the Inserm research laboratories to the industrial world, from invention disclosure to industrial partnerships and startup incorporation. Inserm Transfert also offers services relating to setting up and managing national, European and international projects, as well as supporting the technology transfer of clinical research and health data/databases. In 2009, Inserm Transfert and Inserm established an investment fund to finance proofs of concept. In 2005, Inserm Transfert Initiative, a dedicated seed money fund for life sciences, was created. Since 2017, a pathway for pre-entrepreneurship supports researchers/inventors who aspire to become involved in entrepreneurship.

www.inserm-transfert.fr

About AdBio partners

AdBio partners (previously Advent France Biotechnology) is an AMF-regulated (the French financial market authority) company that invests in a range of sectors within life sciences – specifically in therapeutics-oriented projects. Its unique strategy combines early-stage investments in promising enterprises and strong entrepreneurial support to strengthen the company’s growth. Created in 2016, AdBio partners has made 22 European investments in France, Belgium, Spain and Ireland – with two funds: AFB Seed Fund I and AFB FII. AdBio partners has developed strong relationships within the European innovation ecosystem; as a result, it has attracted international VC syndicates to its portfolio companies. The operational team includes investment professionals with long-standing track records in entrepreneurial ventures, combined with strong scientific, medical and operational expertise.

www.adbio.partners

About Anoat Therapeutics

Anoat Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage company focused on developing novel therapies to transform the lives of patients with rare diseases who have limited or no treatment options. The Anoat team leverages its proven track record in rare diseases and AntiSens Oligonucleotide (ASO) drug development to build a pipeline of novel drug candidates. Anoat’s lead program is an ASO designed to target an alternative chloride channel and compensate for the defective/lacking activity of the CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator) channel protein in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients.

Based in Paris, France, Anoat Therapeutics has raised €2M ($2.17M) in seed funding from AdBio partners.

www.linkedin.com/company/anoat-therapeutics/