Nodus focuses on the development of inhibitors against novel “third-wave” DDR targets, a new set of proteins that have recently been discovered and are thought to play important roles in the response to DNA damage. With this new funding, Nodus will be able to accelerate the development of its PARG programme in collaboration with the Lead Discovery Center GmbH (“LDC”), continue the development of novel DDR targets and further expand the Company’s portfolio.

Ian Waddell, CEO of Nodus Oncology said: “Nodus is focused on developing the next wave of cancer therapeutics in the DDR space, bringing new and effective treatment options to patients. This funding will allow us to continue to accelerate our development programmes, including our PARG programme, and allow us to expand our innovative portfolio. I would like to thank our investors and founders for their ongoing support, and I am looking forward to working together to make a real difference in the fight against cancer.”

“This collaboration illustrates the value-creation opportunity presented by combining Cumulus’ business model, the drug discovery capabilities of the LDC in Dortmund, and the resources of the KHAN-I fund,” said Bert Klebl, Managing Director at KHAN-I, “We are looking forward to working with Nodus to accompany it in its growth journey.”

Bert Klebl and Michael Krebs will be joining Nodus’ Board of Directors as investor representative and observer, respectively.

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About Nodus Oncology
Nodus Oncology is a biotech company developing first- and best-in-class molecules targeting the DDR in patient sub-groups where molecular vulnerabilities exist. Founded by Cumulus Oncology, which contributes capital and oncology discovery and development expertise to the creation of new biotech companies, Nodus has received seed investment from both Cumulus Oncology and additional investors.
For more information visit: www.nodusoncology.com.

About KHAN-I
KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I) is an early-stage life sciences venture fund with €70 million under management. Our mission is to create value through cooperative drug development partnerships with academic innovators in Europe. KHAN-I focuses on first-in-class therapies for attractive markets with a high unmet medical need. The fund is managed by Khanu Management GmbH, an experienced team of professionals with proven track records in early-stage drug development and academic spin-offs as well as pharma licensing and partnering. KHAN-I received an investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) with the support of InnovFin Equity, and with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (“EFSI”) under the Investment Plan for Europe. KHAN-I is also supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS with funds provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the Austrian Foundation for Research, Technology, and Development), Max Planck Foundation, and Thyssen’sche Handelsgesellschaft mbH. In addition, KHAN-I sustains a preferred partnership with the Max-Planck Society (Max-Planck Gesellschaft e.V.).
For more information visit: www.khanu.de

About Cumulus Oncology
Founded in 2017, Cumulus sources novel oncology assets from academic institutes, commercial drug discovery groups, and biopharmaceutical companies. The company also identifies novel targets for drug discovery programmes that it supports and collaborates on. Following rigorous due diligence and market assessment activities, negotiations on deal terms, and in-depth feasibility on the investment case, selected assets are spun out into newly created companies. These NewCos are managed to key value inflection points by Cumulus, which also takes responsibility for further investment into each NewCo via its network of VC partners. The founding team consists of successful life science entrepreneurs, oncologists, scientists, and other oncology drug development and pharma sector business professionals. Asset classes of interest include small molecules and biologics that target known and novel pathways in cancer where there is a clear path forward into clinical development, often in molecularly selected sub-groups.

For more information visit: www.cumulusoncology.com

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Contact: pr@lead-discovery.de (for KHAN-I)

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High quality of the research team and the strong support

The company CasInvent Pharma was established in 2020 as a spin-off of Masaryk University (MU) in cooperation with the investment partner i&i Prague. “The investment of €1.3 million further confirms the quality of the scientific project that was created and developed for several years at Masaryk University. The establishment of the spin-off company CasInvent Pharma was thus a logical step to advance, and ultimately commercialize, these efforts. I am very pleased that the Technology Transfer Office of MU was part of such an important achievement,” says Radoslav Trautmann, Head of Technology Transfer Department, Masaryk University.

“We are looking forward to our first investment in a Czech start-up and our first co-investment with the recently launched i&i Biotech Fund. From the beginning, we were impressed by the high quality of CasInvent’s research team, the strong support from Masaryk University, and the biotech incubator i&i Prague to make this investment possible. With our deep experience in preclinical development of small molecules, we will be able to make valuable contributions to the design and achievement of the key R&D milestones. We look forward to working with Vojtěch, Alexander and the R&D team,” comment Michael Krebs and Peter Nussbaumer, managing partners of KHAN-I.

CasInvent Pharma is i&i Bio’s most recent investment announced this year. It marks yet another successful cooperation with the biotech incubator i&i Prague, one of the main investors of i&i Bio. “We are excited to welcome another promising Czech project to our portfolio. The ability of this spin-off to convince renowned international investors confirms its ambition to be successful on a global scale. It is great to be part of this journey. We are also pleased to use our investment to support research that could help treat serious diseases such as leukemia in the future,” says Ivan Vohlmuth, one of the partners of i&i Bio.

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About i&i Bio

i&i Bio is a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm that invests in innovative European Life Sciences companies focused on drug discoveries, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. The Fund was created thanks to the cooperation of the biotech incubator i&i Prague and the European Investment Fund (see below). With over €45M under management, i&i Bio plans to invest in about 20 early-stage companies. i&i Bio is led by an experienced team of professionals with backgrounds in private equity, healthcare and venture capital supporting entrepreneurs on their journey to global success. Thanks to the close cooperation with the fund’s sponsor, the biotech academic incubator i&i Prague, i&i Bio is supporting and advancing transformative Central European technology companies.

For more information visit www.inibio.eu

About European Investment Fund

i&i bio is supported by an investment from the EIF, with the support of:

• lnnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing; and
• the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF), implemented by the EIF with the financial support of the Participating Member States. The objective of EGF is to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that companies in the Participating Member States have sufficient short-term liquidity available to weather the crisis and are able to continue their growth and development in the medium to long-term.

About KHAN-I

KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I) is an early-stage life sciences venture fund with € 70 millions under management. Our mission is to create value through cooperative drug development partnerships with academic innovators in Europe. KHAN-I focuses on first-in-class therapies for attractive markets with a high unmet medical need. The fund is managed by Khanu Management GmbH, an experienced team of professionals with proven track records in early-stage drug development, academic spin-offs as well as pharma licensing and partnering.

KHAN-I received an investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) with support of InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (“EFSI”) under the Investment Plan for Europe. KHAN-I is also supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS with funds provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the Austrian Foundation for Research, Technology and Development), Max Planck Foundation and Thyssen’sche Handelsgesellschaft mbH.

For more information visit www.khanu.de

About of Masaryk University Technology Transfer Office

Masaryk University Technology Transfer Office is a specialised department of Masaryk University that helps to transfer knowledge and technology into practice. The Office supports the university’s cooperation with the commercial sphere, the creation of spin-off companies and the successful commercialisation of university research.

For more information visit www.muni.cz/en

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Contact: pr@lead-discovery.de (for KHAN-I)

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