Ervaxx Secures $17.5M Series A Funding to Advance Dark Antigen-Based Cancer Vaccines and TCR Immunotherapies

On November 8, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that biotechnology company Ervaxx announced the completion of a $17.5 million Series A financing round. The round was led by venture capital firm SV Health Investors.

Ervaxx, a biotechnology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in London, UK, is dedicated to researching Dark Antigens to develop tumor vaccines and T-cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapies for cancer prevention and treatment. Currently, Ervaxx is primarily exploring the role of Dark Antigens in cancer therapy to address the treatment needs of patients with cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer.

Dark Antigens are encoded by genes derived from a vast number of dormant DNA fragments located outside the normal coding regions of the genome. These genes are typically not expressed in normal tissues but may be selectively activated in cancer. Dormant DNA fragments constitute approximately 98% of the human genome, while the remaining 2% primarily encodes known human proteins.

George Crick’s research team discovered in their study of endogenous retroviruses that epigenetic changes during cellular carcinogenesis activate dormant DNA fragments, which are subsequently transcribed and translated into “Dark Antigens” recognizable by the immune system. Dark Antigens represent a novel class of antigens predominantly expressed on cancer cells, serving as one of the markers distinguishing cancerous from healthy cells, and hold promise as ideal targets for tumor immunotherapy.

Ervaxx has developed the EDAPT genetic platform, which conducts extensive scans of dormant DNA fragments to identify Dark Antigens. Furthermore, EDAPT performs in-depth assessments of antigens and immunogenicity on primary tumor cells to uncover additional tumor antigens with anticancer potential. To date, Ervaxx has utilized the EDAPT platform to screen over 2,000 potential targets for the development of tumor vaccines against diseases such as melanoma. Trials have demonstrated that Ervaxx’s tumor vaccines can enhance the human immune response, thereby achieving therapeutic outcomes.

“Ervaxx is an innovative company capable of developing novel cancer immunotherapies based on the tumor specificity of Dark Antigens,” said Houman Ashrafian, former resident expert at the George Crick research group. “By partnering with SV Health Investors, the company can rapidly advance Dark Antigens research into the clinical stage. We will support Ervaxx in becoming a pioneer in this new class of cancer immunotherapy.”

George Kassiotis, a member of the George Crick research team, stated, “Ervaxx is a highly promising company in the field of immunotherapy development, and we look forward to witnessing its growth and expansion. The George Crick Institute will continue to support Ervaxx in advancing the clinical development and commercialization of cancer immunotherapies and tumor vaccines.”

SV Health Investors, established in 1993 and formerly known as SV Life Sciences, is a venture capital firm headquartered in Boston, USA. The company is dedicated to investing in the biotechnology and healthcare sectors. Since its inception, SV Health Investors has completed 214 investments and manages over $2 billion in assets.

(Compiled by Xu Xiaoxue)