Inflazome Secures €40 Million in Series B Financing to Advance NLRP3 Inhibitors into Clinical Trials for Inflammatory Diseases

Recently, VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that Irish biotechnology company Inflazome completed its Series B financing on November 19 local time, raising €40 million. The round was led by Forbion IV Fund, under Forbion Capital Partners, with participation from Longitude Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, Fountain Healthcare Partners, and the company’s founding investors. Following the completion of the financing, Marco Boorsma, General Partner at Forbion, and David Hirsch, Managing Director and Founder of Longitude Capital, joined Inflazome’s Board of Directors.

Inflazome, founded in 2016, is a startup focused on biotechnology and health diagnostics. Inflazome’s primary business currently involves developing therapeutics by targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome to address inflammatory diseases. Clinical and scientific data indicate that the NLRP3 inflammasome is a compelling biological target for modulating the body’s innate immune response. The NLRP3 inflammasome is overactive in a broad range of severe conditions driven by harmful inflammation, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, hepatic inflammation, and asthma.

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Inflazome is developing potent and selective small-molecule inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome to halt the chronic inflammatory cycles driving such diseases. The proceeds from this financing round will be used to advance the company’s first-in-class NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor into multiple clinical trials in 2019.

Regarding this financing, Marco Boorsma, General Partner at Forbion Capital Partners, commented: “After recognizing the critical role of inflammasomes in many major diseases, we conducted a focused screening of companies active in this field. We decided to support Inflazome due to its leadership position, deep understanding of inflammasome biology, strong foundational knowledge base, and advanced, diverse NLRP3 modulation pipeline. We were also deeply impressed by the extensive experience of the company’s management team and board of directors.”

Matt Cooper, Co-Founder and CEO of Inflazome, stated, “We are delighted to establish new partnerships with leading investors Forbion and Longitude. Both Forbion and Longitude have strong track records of close collaboration with biotechnology companies, and they are well-positioned to help us advance our R&D programs and achieve successful clinical outcomes.”

Forbion Capital Partners, established in 2007 and headquartered in the Netherlands, is a private equity and venture capital firm focused on investing in life sciences companies, drug development firms, and medical technology companies that address significant unmet medical needs. Since the late 1990s, the Forbion investment team has built an impressive track record, currently managing over $5 billion in assets.

Founded in 2006, Longitude Capital is a California-based venture capital firm primarily investing in biotechnology and medical technology companies. Through various investment approaches, Longitude Capital invests in both private and public life sciences companies, aiming to improve clinical outcomes, enhance quality of life, and reduce healthcare system costs. Since its inception in 2006, Longitude Capital has raised over $1.2 billion across its three funds.

Novartis Venture Fund, established in 1996, invests across various therapeutic areas in the life sciences sector. It is dedicated to identifying companies that demonstrate genuine innovative spirit, have the potential to deliver significant benefits to patients, and exhibit exceptional management and capital efficiency. The fund currently manages over $800 million in assets.

Fountain Healthcare Partners is a life sciences venture capital fund based in Ireland, primarily investing in the pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, and diagnostics sectors. The firm focuses its investments on Europe, engaging mainly in early-stage and late-stage venture capital as well as private equity investments.