Citryll Secures €15 Million Series A Financing to Advance Development of NETosis-Inhibiting tACPA Antibody

On July 3, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that private pharmaceutical company Citryll announced the completion of a €15 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Dutch antibody development company ModiQuest BV, with participation from BOM Brabant Ventures, BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology, and Curie Capital. The funds will be used for the clinical development of tACPA antibodies and the development of inhibitors targeting neutrophil extracellular traps (NETosis).

Citryll is headquartered in Missouri, USA, and was co-founded by Dr. Helmuth van Es and Dr. Renato Chirivi. Dr. Helmuth van Es serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, while Dr. Chirivi oversees Citryll’s overall development strategy and its tACPA program. As a co-inventor of tACPA antibodies, he is an expert in protein citrullination and NET biology, with over 20 years of industry experience in cancer, neurobiology, and molecular immunology.

tACPA is designed to induce the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, known as NETs. NETs are a component of the innate immune system. Citryll addresses the condition by interfering with PAD enzyme-catalyzed NET formation, as PAD is essential for this process. tACPA binds to N-terminal citrullinated epitopes in histones, a step required for NET formation.

“Citryll is adopting a novel approach to treating autoimmune diseases and other human conditions, such as lupus, vasculitis, pulmonary fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and sepsis-induced organ injury, by addressing the underlying pathology through the elimination of self-antigens and toxic molecules derived from neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Rather than broadly targeting inflammation or adaptive immunity, Citryll’s approach selectively eliminates self-antigens and NET-derived toxic molecules in what is currently the safest manner,” said CEO Helmuth van Es.

ModiQuest was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Oss, the Netherlands. It was co-established by Jose Raats, Ger Pruijn, and Walther van Venrooij. ModiQuest is one of the world’s leading companies in custom antibody generation and development. The company is dedicated to providing high-quality, tailored solutions for custom antibody generation and development, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients and partners. Since its inception in 2004, ModiQuest has successfully executed over 250 antibody projects for clients across Europe, the United States, Asia, and Russia. Over the past decade, ModiQuest has built a unique, state-of-the-art, fully integrated platform for custom antibody generation and development, encompassing antigen design, antibody lead generation, optimization, and production.

BOM Brabant Ventures, established in 1983 and headquartered in North Brabant, the Netherlands, is a venture capital fund. The fund focuses on investing in industries such as high-tech systems and software, agri-food, life sciences and health, supply chain, and the bioeconomy.

BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology Co., Ltd. was established on October 26, 2001, with its headquarters in Suzhou, China. BrightGene is dedicated to the research and development of new drugs, as well as the production and sales of high-end active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates. The company currently has eight novel compounds and four new formulation drug delivery projects under development. The therapeutic areas covered by BrightGene’s novel compounds include liver diseases, diabetes, and oncology. Among these, the oral GLP-1 product for glucose lowering has attracted significant attention, while the most advanced project is a Class 1 innovative drug for the treatment of hepatitis B, which has already entered Phase II clinical trials. BrightGene places great emphasis on building robust drug registration systems and cGMP quality management systems.

Curie Capital, established in 2018, is a venture capital firm focused on life sciences. It is a new type of dynamic investment fund with a distinctive approach. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Curie Capital’s founding partners, Mariette van der Velden and Han de Groot, bring extensive experience in investment, entrepreneurship, and corporate management.

(Compiled by Cheng Tao)