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Imperial Innovations invests £5m in Cancer Research UK-linked biotech firm

London-based investment company Imperial Innovations has contributed to the Series A funding round of a major new biotech company that launches today.

Artios Pharma, which has been formed with assets from Cancer Research UK’s technology transfer unit, has closed a £25m funding round which includes a £5m investment from Imperial.

Headed up by Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Niall Martin, the Cambridge firm’s work will focus on developing cancer treatments centered around DNA Damage Response (DDR) cancer therapies, which attempt to activate proteins which help repair and prevent DNA mutations.

Dr. Martin previously headed up UK biotech firm KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, which discovered Olaparib, a targeted cancer treatment, before it was sold to pharma giant AstraZeneca in 2006 for $210m.

The firm has said it will use its Series A funds to build a pipeline of DDR therapies, led by its Pol-theta programme and an undisclosed therapy which it has licensed from Cancer Research UK, with other therapies and research sourced from global collaborators.

Commenting on the timing of Artios’ launch, Dr. Martin commented: “It is an ideal time for Artios to be entering the field as a DDR focussed, independent biotech company and we are delighted to welcome our world-class investors to the Company and to announce our first partnership with Cancer Research Technology.”

Artios is backed by an array of global science and technology investors, including SV Life Sciences, Merck Ventures, Arix Bioscience PLC, CRT Pioneer Fund, and AbbVie Ventures, with Imperial holding a 14.9% interest in the firm.

Bobby Soni, Director of Healthcare Ventures at Imperial Innovations said the opportunity to investment in such ‘an exciting company’ was one that does not come round every day.

He added: “We are delighted to be part of such an impressive syndicate of investors which reflects Artios’ international ambitions to build a pipeline of first-in-class DDR therapies identified from a network of global, independent collaborators.”