CasInvent Pharma Raises € 1.6 million in Pre-Series A Financing to Support the Development of CK1 Inhibitors for Treatment-Resistant Solid and Hematological Tumours
- The financing will boost the development of innovative casein kinase 1 (CK1) inhibitors with the potential to treat conditions like acute myeloid leukaemia, pancreatic cancer, and certain types of breast cancer.
- This investment round was supported by the existing and two new investors.
- The syndicate includes i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio), KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I (KHAN-I), i&i Prague, the Holeček Family Foundation, and BIOINVESTIMED a. s.
CasInvent Pharma, a university spin-off focused on developing anti-cancer compounds, has successfully closed the Pre-Series A funding round, raising a total of € 1.6 million from both existing and new investors. Founded in 2020 as a spin-off from Masaryk University in Brno and with the support of i&i Prague, CasInvent Pharma specializes in the development of highly selective inhibitors targeting the casein kinase 1 enzyme family. These enzymes play an important role in several disease-related processes, including the migration of leukaemia cells into lymphoid organs. The small-molecule inhibitors are designed to target individual isoforms of CK1 and thereby selectively eradicate leukemic cells.
"It's gratifying to have convinced both new and existing partners to support our quest in developing effective treatment options and hope for patients suffering from these cancers with a very low survival rate," says Alexander Scheer, CEO of CasInvent Pharma. He believes these inhibitors have the potential to treat patients with conditions like acute myeloid leukaemia, pancreatic cancer, certain types of breast cancer (TNBC), and other diseases with limited treatment options.
"The company's ability to attract new investors reaffirms not just the project's quality, but also the combined expertise of the team at CasInvent Pharma," says Ivan Vohlmuth, a partner at i&i Bio. "The team has worked really hard over the past 18 months and achieved promising data in the development of their CK1 inhibitor portfolio. We are pleased to continue to support the company," add Michael Krebs and Peter Nussbaumer from KHAN-I.
For more information, see the press release: