Bright Angel Therapeutics Secures New Funding to Advance Development of Novel Therapies for Invasive and Drug-Resistant Fungal Infections

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Bright Angel Therapeutics recently announced a new round of funding to advance the development of its drug candidates for invasive and drug-resistant fungal infections. Viva BioInnovator, the investment incubation arm of Viva Biotech, and Lumira Ventures, Canada’s largest healthcare venture capital firm, participated in this financing round.

Invasive Fungal Disease (IFD), also known as invasive fungal infection, refers to the pathological changes and pathophysiological processes in which fungi invade human tissues and blood, grow and reproduce therein, and cause tissue damage, organ dysfunction, and inflammatory responses.

In recent years, the incidence of invasive fungal diseases has shown a year-on-year increase due to the rising number of patients with malignant tumors, immunodeficiency, and organ transplants, as well as the prolonged use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and extended duration of indwelling catheters. Data indicate that the incidence rate among patients in intensive care units (ICUs) is approximately 8%–15%, with Candida species being the predominant pathogens. Among these, Candida albicans is the most common pathogen (accounting for 40%–60%); however, the proportion of infections caused by non-albicans Candida species (such as Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis) has been gradually increasing in recent years. The incidence rate among organ transplant recipients is 20%–40%; it reaches 31% in patients with hematologic malignancies; and the likelihood of fungal infection in patients with AIDS is as high as 90%.

Despite the availability of traditional antifungal agents, the use of azole antifungals such as fluconazole, voriconazole, and itraconazole, as well as amphotericin B, remains significantly limited due to issues concerning their antimicrobial spectrum, drug resistance, and safety profiles. Consequently, the incidence of invasive fungal diseases (IFD) continues to show a marked upward trend.

Due to the lack of fungus-specific targets, only a few drugs have been approved to date for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. To address the challenge of designing fungi-selective compounds in the presence of human homologs, Bright Angel Therapeutics leveraged the Schrödinger platform to develop a fungus-specific compound targeting fungal heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), which has been proven to be a key factor in the emergence and maintenance of fungal drug resistance.

Dr. Dominic Jaikaran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bright Angel Therapeutics, stated: “The recent inclusion of Candida auris and azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report, along with the designation of drug-resistant Candida as an urgent public health threat, underscores that drug-resistant fungal infections have become a global health crisis. Bright Angel Therapeutics is committed to developing novel therapeutics to address the public health risks posed by drug-resistant fungal infections. We are delighted that WuXi Biology and Lumira have joined our team to jointly tackle this urgent global health crisis.”

Dr. Ye Zhixiong, Chief Scientist at Viva Biotech, stated, “The HSP90 fungal-selective inhibitor under development by Bright Angel Therapeutics holds promise for curing invasive fungal infections. Its mechanism of action is designed to enhance the efficacy of the three major classes of current antifungal drugs and to counteract resistance by targeting the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of fungal drug resistance.”

“Bright Angel Therapeutics is addressing unmet medical needs by developing novel antifungal drugs urgently needed in the market to combat drug-resistant fungal infections, employing a highly innovative and differentiated approach,” said Dr. Benjamin Rovinski, Managing Director at Lumira Ventures.

Bright Angel Therapeutics is a preclinical company headquartered in Toronto, dedicated to developing novel therapeutics to address the escalating global public health crisis of antifungal resistance. The company’s discovery efforts focus on molecules that inhibit stress response pathways, which are considered central to the emergence of fungal drug resistance.

Bright Angel was co-founded by Schrödinger and leveraged the Schrödinger platform to design effective fungus-selective inhibitors. Other co-founders include Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (formerly MaRS Innovation); Dr. Leah Cowen, Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, Co-Chair of the CIFAR Fungal Kingdom: Threats & Opportunities program, and Chief Scientific Officer of Bright Angel Therapeutics; and Group Advisor Luke Whitesell.