Cambridge, UK, 29 July 2022: A University of Nottingham spin-out company has received investment to further develop research into creating safe and effective medicines for patients with life-threatening diseases.
o2h Ventures has announced SEIS and EIS investment, alongside co-investment from the University of Nottingham’s Invention Fund, into spin-out company Alevin Therapeutics to develop a platform of novel small molecule RGD integrin inhibitors with superior drug-like qualities. The discovery-stage compounds have broad therapeutic applications in areas of high unmet clinical need – fibrosis, kidney disease and cancer – with the most advanced asset being an inhaled drug for the treatment of lung fibrosis. The investment provides the company with funding of close to £1M to progress and de-risk its pipeline assets.
Alevin Therapeutics has arisen from research driven by the Business Partnership Unit and School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. Originally the subject of a long-standing collaboration between academia and big pharma, scientists developed the platform of novel compounds with the aim of treating life-threatening conditions by limiting the activity of a key signaling pathway that is targeted by integrin inhibitors.
The founders of Alevin Therapeutics are leading scientists in the RGD integrin field, with substantial industry experience and a proven track record of clinical candidate delivery.
o2h Ventures led the investment having previously made a pre-seed investment into the company. o2h Ventures has worked with Nottingham Technology Ventures (NTV) Ltd to develop the business plan, and execution and seek further collaborations. This is the second investment that o2h Ventures have made into a spinout from the University of Nottingham having earlier invested into Exonate Ltd, which now has a significant collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Sunil Shah, CEO of o2h Ventures, said: “We are very excited to be leading the investment on our second spin-out from the University of Nottingham. Their team at both the academic and tech transfer groups are both smart and very easy to work with. There has been a huge amount of prior work done on these integrin targets prior to our investment and we seek to advance these assets quickly into the clinic and develop strategic collaborations within the industry”
Alice MacGowan, Life Sciences Executive at NTV Ltd, said: “We are delighted to add Alevin Therapeutics to the University portfolio and to have received further investment from o2h into one of our spin-outs. This is a fantastic and experienced team, seeking to address an area of significant clinical need. In addition to the University’s current investment, the underpinning research was supported through its translational phase by the University’s internal impact funding, demonstrating the potential benefit that can be brought about by Nottingham’s commitment to investing in highly impactful opportunities.
About o2h Ventures
The o2h Ventures ‘Human Health’ SEIS and Knowledge Intensive (KI) funds make tax-efficient investments in Pre-Seed and Seed stage companies that address human disease. The main focus of the investments is into the development of novel therapeutic treatments with a clear path to the clinic.
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 Nottingham Technology Ventures
Nottingham Technology Ventures is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Nottingham that manages the University’s spin-out portfolio of 28 companies. Based in the Ingenuity Centre within the University of Nottingham Innovation Park (UNIP), Nottingham Technology Ventures also manages the University’s Invention Fund and Pathfinder Fund dedicated to investing in University spin-out companies to accelerate their development and growth. For more information, please visit www.nottinghamtechventures.com
About Alevin Therapeutics
Alevin Therapeutics Ltd was founded in March 2022 with the aim of developing safe and effective medicines for patients with life-threatening diseases. Alevin is developing a proprietary platform of novel inhibitors of RGD integrins for the treatment of fibrosis, kidney disease and cancer. For more information, please visit www.alevintherapeutics.com.
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Juhi Shah
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