NH TherAguix Secures €13 Million Series A Funding to Advance AGuIX Nanoparticle Therapy for Solid Tumors

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that NH TherAguix recently announced the completion of a €13 million Series A financing round. The funds raised will be used to accelerate the research and development of AGuIX, a nano-drug under NH TherAguix for the treatment of solid tumors. It is reported that this round of financing was led by Bpifrance, with participation from Supernova Invest, Omnes Capital, and Arbevel.

NH TherAguix is a medical startup headquartered in Lyon, France, founded in December 2015, with a focus on leveraging nanoradiotherapy for cancer treatment. The company’s flagship product is a nanoparticle named AGuIX, designed to selectively target solid tumors to enhance their localization and radiotherapeutic efficacy following intravenous administration.

It is reported that AGuIX is currently involved in two Phase 1b clinical trials. As early as July 2016, NH TherAguix collaborated with Grenoble University Hospital to conduct the NANORAD trial, a Phase I clinical study on multiple brain metastases, which marked the first administration of the agent in humans. To date, 12 out of the 15 patients enrolled in the study have received treatment corresponding to four initial dose levels of the AGuIX nanomedicine. The results indicate that, as a bimodal nanomedicine, AGuIX ensures targeted delivery to pathological sites such as tumors, demonstrates good tolerability, and exhibits favorable biodistribution and pharmacokinetics, showing remarkable efficacy in the treatment of brain metastases and other solid tumors.

It is worth noting that AGuIX also plays a pivotal role in the fields of radiotherapy and imaging. First, AGuIX can serve as a radiosensitizer to enhance the local efficacy of radiation on tumors, thereby improving tumor control and cure rates. This capability not only reduces the radiation dose delivered to healthy tissues but also minimizes the side effects associated with radiation therapy. Second, AGuIX can be combined with MRI to increase tumor contrast post-injection, assisting physicians in accurately locating and delineating tumor regions. Furthermore, this agent enables personalized radiotherapy for each patient by determining the optimal timing for irradiation and the final focal point.

It is reported that the drug is a product jointly launched by NH TherAGuIX and Sanofi Active Ingredient Solutions (SAIS). Sanofi provides the technology, while NH TherAGuIX contributes the pharmaceutical formulation; through their close collaboration, the two parties aim to scale up the production of AGuIX for clinical trials and further advance its commercialization. According to the agreement signed between the two companies, the first batch of AGuIX clinical trial materials is expected to be released in September 2019.

Géraldine Le Duc, CEO of NH TherAguix, stated, “Currently, we are focusing on therapeutic agents for brain tumors, particularly gliomas and brain metastases, and hope to secure additional funding to further advance the development of our core drug candidates.”

Bpifrance is a venture capital firm headquartered in France. To date, the company has completed a total of 372 investment and financing deals.

Supernova Invest is a venture capital firm founded in 2017. To date, the company has completed six investment and financing transactions, with total funding exceeding $81.5 million.

Omnes Capital is a France-based venture capital firm founded in 1999, primarily providing funding to startups in the ICT and life sciences sectors. To date, the firm has completed 192 investment and financing transactions, with assets under management totaling €3.4 billion.

Arbevel is a company that provides small and medium-sized securities services.

(Compiled by: Feng Yutong)