Tromsø, Norway, and Dortmund, Germany – April 25th, 2024. KinSea Lead Discovery AS, a biopharmaceutical start-up pioneering the use of marine bioactives for the treatment of human diseases, announces the successful first closing of its seed financing round. It includes an equity investment from KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I), an early-stage life sciences venture fund based in Germany, and welcomes the new investor Berners AS, a North Norwegian investment company. A year ago, KinSea had already secured a convertible loan from KHAN-I, which was recently converted into shares.

The financing enables the company to further develop its lead program, a FLT3 kinase inhibitor based on unique chemistry from marine sources, towards preclinical and clinical testing. Data from in vivo proof-of-concept studies suggest superior properties over existing FLT3 inhibitors, including potential broad activity against known drug-induced and drug-resistant FLT3 mutations, improved selectivity, and outstanding in vivo potency. The program originates from the successful collaboration of the founding partners, Arctic University of Norway (UiT), University of Bergen (UiB), Norinnova, and Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC).

‘We are grateful for the continued confidence and support from KHAN-I, and delighted to welcome Berners AS on board’, says Jeanette Hammer Andersen, CEO of KinSea. ‘This first closing validates the transformative potential of our approach. We are very committed to take our FLT3 inhibitors through the next stages of drug discovery and development in order to provide entirely new treatment options for AML patients that are safer and more effective’.

KinSea also plans to gradually expand its drug discovery pipeline and establish a diversified portfolio of high-potential drug candidates based on novel chemical scaffolds from the Arctic Ocean for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

‘We are excited to reaffirm our commitment to KinSea and its groundbreaking work in the field of marine-derived therapeutics. The team has made significant progress over the last year, and we are convinced that their unique approach and capable team will continue to drive the maturation and expansion of their pipeline, and eventually make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives, in particular with regard to urgently needed, improved therapies for AML patients’, comments Bert Klebl, Managing Director of KHAN-I.

Mats Sæverud, CEO of Berners AS, adds: ‘In KinSea, we found an ambitious startup company that wants to make an important impact by employing natural products from the Arctic Ocean. The KinSea team has bold visions, scalable solutions, excellent expertise and skills, and fits well with Berners´ ambitions.’

KinSea has already started discussions with further investors for a second and final closing.

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Contact
Lead Discovery Center GmbH
Otto-Hahn-Straße 15
44227 Dortmund
Germany
Phone: +49 231 97 42 70 00
Mail: pr@lead-discovery.de

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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. KHANI 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.).

Further information at www.khanu.de

About Berners AS

Berners AS is a newly established, privately owned investment company, based in Tromsø, Norway. Through investments and active ownership, Berners will contribute to the development of profitable and sustainable businesses, especially within the seafood and marine sector. We aim to be a supporter of the development of brands and competence clusters in Northern Norway. Our investment strategy is based on our knowledge and love for the coast and the sea, and the opportunities that exist there. Berners is owned by Triko AS (80%) and Larren Invest AS (20%).

About Norinnova

Norinnova is one of Northern Norway’s most competent and experienced agencies for research commercialization. Norinnova connects researchers, start-up environments, companies and commercial actors to develop and utilize the region’s innovation power. For more than 30 years, Norinnova has worked closely with researchers and leading research communities in Northern Norway to harness the power of innovation in this region. This collaboration has contributed to the creation of brand-new businesses and has reinforced existing companies through new products and services. Norinnova secures rights, helps provide funding, investigates market potential, finds relevant partners, and contributes so that the scientists can get their product or service to the market.

Further information available at: www.norinnova.no

About LDC

Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. LDC takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads and antibodies that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals as well as candidate nomination. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from research and industry, LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule and antibody leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential.

LDC sustains a long-term partnership with the Max Planck Society and its institutes as well as with KHAN-I, and has formed alliances with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo, Qurient, InvIOS, Novo Nordisk, Cumulus Oncology, Nodus Oncology, JT Pharmaceuticals, KinSea Lead Discovery AS, HLB Pharma, the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, e.g. In addition, LDC also works with leading translational drug discovery centers and with various investors to provide its assets for company creation.

Further information available at: www.lead-discovery.de

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LDC and the University of Duisburg-Essen receive EUR 905,000 for the development of new therapies for age-related blindness

Dortmund, December 13, 2018 – The Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have received EUR 905,000 in funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of its lead market competition, LifeSciences.NRW. Together with the LDC’s own financial contribution, this gives the partners a total of EUR 1.3 million with which to develop new drugs for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

 
AMD is the most common form of blindness. In Germany alone, approximately 6.9 million people are affected, 480,000 of them at an advanced stage of the disease. There is no satisfactory therapy to date.
New research has shown that AMD patients frequently have a high level of a particular enzyme, HTRA1-protease. This leads to an increased breakdown of proteins, resulting in damage to the macula, which is crucial for sight. The joint development project builds on research by Prof. Dr Ehrmann and his team at the UDE that suggests targeted inhibition of HTRA1 is a promising new approach to preventing the progression of the disease.

 
In an initial collaborative project, also supported by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the LDC and the UDE have already identified a series of chemical substances that specifically inhibit HTRA1. In the current follow-on project, the partners will be optimizing and validating these substances. Their goal is to develop a well-characterized lead structure that meets all the requirements of a therapeutic agent and demonstrates efficacy in an in-vivo model system.

 
To this end, the LDC and Prof. Dr Ehrmann and his team will be working closely with two further research groups at the UDE. Prof. Kaiser and his colleagues will contribute their extensive knowledge of protease inhibitors, and Prof. Dr Sanchez Garcia’s group provides longstanding experience in the computation and stimulation of biomolecules and biochemical processes. The LDC is coordinating the project, and contributes the competencies required for professional drug development, above all in the areas of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. “This cooperation is a fantastic chance to develop results from basic research to benefit patients,” says Prof. Ehrmann. “In view of the aging world-wide population, we urgently need better drugs for the treatment of AMD.”

 
“We are delighted to be working together with this terrific and proven team,” adds Dr Bert Klebl, CEO of the LDC. “The project will profit enormously from their competence and experience. Together we can reach a stage of development that will be highly attractive to industry partners, enabling subsequent transfer to clinical development.”

 
The joint development project will run for 3 years und is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

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Alliance for medicinal chemistry optimization and development of novel checkpoint blockade approach

Vienna, Austria, 19 September 2018: APEIRON Biologics AG, an Austrian company focused on cancer immunotherapy, today announced a collaboration agreement with the Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC), a translational research organization established in 2008 by Max Planck Innovation, to develop novel immune checkpoint modulators. The two companies will perform drug discovery activities to optimize and develop novel small molecules addressing immune checkpoints, important gatekeepers in cancer immunity. All molecules deriving from this collaboration are proprietary to APEIRON and will strengthen APEIRON’s development pipeline.

Peter Llewellyn-Davies, Chief Executive Officer of APEIRON Biologics, said: “We are delighted to announce this alliance with LDC. APEIRON has an excellent and broad pipeline being pursued to develop therapies both aiming at targeting tumor cells and stimulating the immune system to fight cancer. With its track record in pharmaceutical drug discovery and long‑standing small molecule expertise, the LDC is the ideal partner for us to identify new drug candidates and to further accelerate the development of new immune checkpoint modulators. I am confident our combined R&D forces will drive our technology in the field of immune-oncology forward and strengthen our product candidate portfolio in small molecules.”

The LDC will use its expertise in small molecule drug discovery to design and optimize new substances, which can activate immune cells and drive their anti-tumor activity. The medicinal chemistry efforts are based on a new substance class, which was identified by phenotypic screening, discovered in APEIRON’s cooperation with Evotec AG, and has shown to activate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The intellectual property generated under the terms of the agreement solely belongs to APEIRON. The LDC will receive research funding during the collaboration period and is eligible to an upfront payment, milestone payments and royalties. Further financial details of the collaboration agreement were not disclosed.

The work will be carried out at both APEIRON’s R&D facilities in Vienna, Austria, and in the LDC laboratories in Dortmund, Germany. APEIRON will be responsible for further preclinical and clinical development of the product candidates, as well as subsequent marketing and commercialization.

About the LDC

The Lead Discovery Center (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. The LDC takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from academia and industry, the LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential. The LDC sustains a strong partnership with the Max Planck Society and has performed alliances with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi-Sankyo, Qurient, Johnson&Johnson Innovation, Sotio, Gruenenthal and Roche, as well as leading translational drug discovery centres around the globe. Further information is available at www.lead-discovery.de.

About APEIRON Biologics AG

Apeiron is a privately-held commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Vienna, Austria, focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel cancer immunotherapies. The company is leveraging its innovative therapeutic targets based on tumor-specific targeted approaches and the stimulation of the immune system via novel and proprietary unique mechanisms of action (checkpoint blockade) to eradicate cancer by engaging the human body’s natural defense mechanisms. For additional information please visit www.apeiron-biologics.com and follow us on Twitter @apeironbio.

For further information please contact:

APEIRON Biologics AG

Peter Llewellyn-Davies, CEO

Email: investors@apeiron-biologics.com

www.apeiron-biologics.com

Public Relations LDC

Lead Discovery Center GmbH

T: +49 231 9742 7000

Email: pr@lead-discovery.de

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgement of APEIRON as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

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Aachen, Dortmund and Göttingen, Germany, June 21, 2018 – Grünenthal, Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC), Max-Planck Innovation and Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine (MPI-EM) have entered into a research collaboration to develop novel therapies for patients suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A (CMT1A), an inherited neurological disorder.

The collaboration combines the disease proficiency of MPI-EM, the drug discovery expertise of LDC and Grünenthal’s competency in drug discovery and development as well as pain management. The project’s scientific foundation was laid at MPI-EM by Michael Sereda, Klaus-Armin Nave and Moritz Rossner.

Within the framework of this research collaboration, LDC and MPI-EM intend to establish a novel screening platform to identify small molecule modulators to generate innovative drug candidates. These research efforts are equally funded by Grünenthal and Max Planck Society. Grünenthal will assume responsibility for the development of any drug candidates derived from this research collaboration from the identification of preclinical candidate onwards.

“It’s our aspiration to provide patients with disease modifying treatments. We therefore team up with academia and foster research collaborations leveraging basic research,” said Gabriel Baertschi, CEO Grünenthal. “There is no curative treatment available for patients affected by CMT1A. This neurological disorder places a burden on patients and we’re looking forward to developing potential treatment options with our partners.”

“We are enthusiastic to collaborate with Grünenthal and our MPI-EM colleagues on this early-stage drug discovery project”, said Bert Klebl, Managing Director and CSO at LDC. “As a leading specialist in pain research and pain management, Grünenthal’s synergistic capabilities will help advance this joint project to hopefully make a difference in the lives of CMT1A patients”.

About Charcot-Marie-Tooth
Charcot-Marie-Tooth is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders, affecting approximately 1 in 2.500 people. It affects both motor and sensory nerves and symptoms include weakness of the foot and lower leg muscles, foot deformities, pain, and numbness.

CMT1A is the most common form of CMT and results from a duplication of the gene on chromosome 17 that carries the instructions for producing the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22). PMP22 is a critical component of the myelin sheath that isolates human peripheral nerve. Overexpression of this gene causes the structure and function of the myelin sheath to be abnormal, resulting in a slower conduction of nerve impulses. Currently, there is no curative therapeutic treatment available.

About Grünenthal
Grünenthal is an entrepreneurial, science-based pharmaceutical company specialized in pain, gout and inflammation. Our ambition is to deliver four to five new products to patients in diseases with high unmet medical need by 2022 and become a €2 bn company. We are a fully integrated research & development company with a long track record of bringing innovative pain treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients. By sustainably investing in our R&D above the industrial average, we are strongly committed to innovation.

Grünenthal is an independent, family-owned company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. We are present in 32 countries with affiliates in Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are sold in more than 100 countries and approx. 5,200 employees are working for Grünenthal worldwide. In 2017, Grünenthal achieved revenues of
approx. €1.3 bn.

More information: www.grunenthal.com
Follow us on LinkedIn “Grunenthal Group”.

For further information, please contact:

Štěpán Kráčala, Head Global Communications
Tel.: +49 241 569-1335,
Stepan.Kracala@grunenthal.com
Grünenthal GmbH, 52099 Aachen, Germany

Public Relations LDC
Tel.: +49 231 9742 7000
pr@lead-discovery.de
Lead Discovery Center GmbH, 44227 Dortmund, Germany

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Innovative network of eight partners for North Rhine-Westphalia

Dortmund, 01.05.2018 – Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD) is the name of the new initiative at the Zentrum für integrierte Wirkstoffforschung (ZIW) of the TU Dortmund University (TU), which got started on 1 April 2018. Scientists from eight institutions combine their manifold expertise to develop an infrastructure for drug discovery in North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition to the TU Dortmund, the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Physiology (MPI), the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), the Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V., the Taros GmbH & Co. KG, the PROvendis GmbH, the BioMedizinZentrum Dortmund (BMZ), and the Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) are participating.

The project has a total volume of 11 million euros over a 3-year-period. It is funded in the scope of the Forschungsinfrastrukturen NRW Program (NRW research infrastructures) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with funds from the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE). The DDHD is to bridge the critical innovation gap between basic academic research and industrial application. Since the process of drug discovery is extremely complex, it requires an interdisciplinary cooperation of many different scientific specialist fields. Thus, the eight partners form a unique and well-proven network at the Dortmund site.

The DDHD acts as an incubator for drug discovery projects throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. In cooperation with the patent marketing organisation PROvendis, results of excellent basic drug discovery are to be translated into economic projects. Innovative findings made in basic academic research are to be transformed into lead substances compatible with industrial expectations, which specifically means that compounds are multiparametric optimised so that they fully comply with the high pharmaceutical standards. The molecular lead compounds will be available for further in depth scientific studies. In case of success, the projects are then transferred to the pharmaceutical industry and developed to marketability. Alternatively, individual projects may be transferred to spin-offs for further development. The source for such drug discovery projects are the universities and academic institutions of North Rhine-Westphalia.

“We are very pleased about the funding which enables the building of a unique infrastructure and the implementation of innovative projects“, states Prof. Daniel Rauh, DDHD Coordinator and Professor for Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the TU Dortmund University. “In its capacity as an integrative initiative, the DDHD represents the scientific competence area of “Biomedicine and Drug Discovery” of the Dortmund Science Masterplan. It plays an important role in the strengthening of Dortmund as a biotechnology location and as an innovation center in North Rhine-Westphalia. Together with complementing projects, such as „Medicinal Chemistry in Dortmund“, funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the DDHD emphasises the national importance of Dortmund as a location for early-stage drug discovery.”

”The DDHD initiative will further strengthen the translational activities in Dortmund as well as the pioneering role of the location in early-stage drug discovery“, adds Dr. Bert Klebl, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director of the LDC. “The funding we received means to us a confirmation and support of the interdisciplinary cooperation between the different partners from academia and industry in Dortmund and in North Rhine-Westphalia.”

Contact Consortium:
Prof. Dr. Daniel Rauh
Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry
E: daniel.rauh@tu-dortmund.de
T: +49 231-755 7080

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Dortmund/Munich, 23 April 2018 – The Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) has established a branch – LDC Biologics – in the Munich Biocluster. While the team in Dortmund focuses on chemical compounds (small molecules), in Munich the emphasis will be on the development of therapeutic antibodies. LDC Biologics will produce, optimise and humanise innovative antibodies according to industrial standards in close cooperation with partners from academia and therefore connecting academic research and industrial drug discovery. The Munich team, under the management of Dr. Johannes Bange, can resort to more than 15 years of experience in the pre-clinical and clinical development of therapeutic antibodies.

With this branch office, LDC is also expanding its long-standing expertise in the pharmaceutical drug discovery with partners from academia and industry to include the development of therapeutic antibodies. This allows for the use of technologies and methods complying with the highest quality standards and industrial best practices at a very early project stage and creates a sustainable transfer solution for excellent innovative ideas from academia and the industry.

“With the expansion of LDC activities to include biological agents we are responding to the wish of our industry partners to offer a solution not only for chemical compounds, but also for biological ones. In doing this, we will continue with the established and proven LDC translation model of close cooperation with our partners from academia in respect of biological agents. The “LDC Biologics” department is ideally located in the Munich Biotechcluster, the centre of research of biological agents in Germany“, states Dr. Bert Klebl, Managing Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the LDC.

In addition, the entire drug discovery value chain at the Munich site is supported by LDC´s well-proven global pharmaceutical and investor network through licencing and/or a spin-off of new companies.
The new site of the antibody group is in direct proximity to the Martinsried Biotech Campus, which connects academic basic research and applied development.

“We are very pleased that LDC has located its biologics division in the Greater Munich Area. Our location provides the best scientists and an excellent LifeScience ecosystem, which has been established for years, for the successful translation from academia to medical use”, adds Prof. Horst Domdey, Managing Director of the BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH.
There is also a close interconnection with the newly founded ISAR Bioscience GmbH which will also cooperate closely with LDC in the future. LDC Biologics has already entered into active partnerships in the field of antibody development with local research facilities, such as Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health. One project of the LDC Biologics portfolio is funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economy.

Contact

Dr. Johannes Bange
E.: Bange@lead-discovery.de

Public Relations LDC
E.: pr@lead-discovery.de
T.: +49 231 9742 7000

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