Cambridge, UK
o2h Ventures is pleased to announce an SEIS investment into ClotProtect Therapeutics, a company working towards developing a small molecule to improve efficacy and therefore bleeding and survival outcomes compared to existing treatments.
Each year, approximately 1.5 million lives are lost due to haemorrhage and traumatic injuries[1]. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is currently used to manage bleeding and is recommended to be administered as soon as possible in bleeding patients with major trauma, patients at risk of losing 500ml and in all adults having major surgery.
However, limitations of TXA exist, such as TXA only improves mortality in 30% of bleeding trauma patients and loses 10% of survival benefit for every 15 minute delay in administration. Furthermore, TXA if administered after 3 hours of injury increases death rates by 44%.
To address this and more, Clotprotect is developing CP101, a first-in-class small molecule direct plasmin inhibitor for intravenous administration. Their innovative approach aims to improve upon the current standard of care, tranexamic acid (TXA), by providing greater efficacy and thereby reducing bleeding and deaths, extending the treatment window beyond 3 hours from injury, and reducing hospital length of stay and decreased blood transfusions.
Additionally, the team at ClotProtect consists of seasoned experts with over three decades of combined experience in biotech. ClotProtect is the second spin-out company to be created jointly by co-founders Prof Helen Philippou and Dr Richard Foster from research conducted within the University of Leeds.
Sunil Shah, CEO of o2h Ventures, said:
Very happy to back this experienced team led by Helen and to support the team moving forward. ClotProtect has a very clear route to the clinic and patient benefit.
Prof. Helen Philippou, CEO of ClotProtect, said:
ClotProtect is delighted to have secured this first investment from o2h Ventures to kick start our company operations to address a large unmet clinical need.
Mr Andy Duley, Commercialisation Director at the University of Leeds said:
We are excited to see research that started within the University be translated to achieve great patient benefit.
About ClotProtect Therapeutics Ltd:
Clotprotect is developing a small molecule therapeutic to stem bleeding in patients. They aim to revolutionise drugs aimed at drastically improving survival rates from uncontrollable haemorrhaging. It works directly inhibiting plasmin, the enzyme responsible for breaking down blood clots. This novel mechanism holds the promise of extending clot stability, reducing the risk of re-bleeding, and protecting the body from damaging inflammatory responses.
About o2h Ventures
The o2h Ventures ‘Human Health’ SEIS and EIS funds make tax-efficient investments in Pre-Seed and seed-stage companies that address human disease: we fund the development of novel therapeutic treatments; we help build new services and tools offerings throughout the biotech ecosystem, and we spur the creation of software & artificial intelligence that will change healthcare.
The o2h team are leaders in the biotech community and have been actively involved as investors, holding various board/industry positions as well as being engaged in grassroots scientific activity for over 20 years. o2h Ventures operates from their proprietary 2.7 acre Mill SciTech Park where they are developing a unique model for incubating small life science companies. For more information or to invest in the fund, please visit www.o2hventures.com
About University of Leeds:
The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 40,000 students from about 140 different countries. We are renowned globally for the quality of our teaching and research. We are a values-driven university, and we harness our expertise in research and education to help shape a better future for humanity, working through collaboration to tackle inequalities, achieve societal impact and drive change.
Since 2010, the University of Leeds has produced 36 spinout companies, generating regional impact, creating new jobs and developing innovative solutions to global challenges.
The University is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, and is a major partner in the Alan Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes www.leeds.ac.uk
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10207757/#:~:text=Hemorrhage%20is%20estimated%20to%20account,is%202%20h%20%5B3%5D.
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Juhi Shah
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