HOOKIPA Pharma is a biotechnology company headquartered in Vienna, Austria, focused on developing active immunotherapies for infectious diseases and oncology. The company’s core work centers on therapeutic vaccines and immune-based approaches to prevent and treat disease. Recent disclosed financing shows strategic interest from a major pharma: Gilead Sciences purchased 15,000,000 shares of HOOKIPA common stock. The purchase price was $1.4167 per share, for a total of approximately $21.25 million. The transaction was described as a strategic investment in HOOKIPA. No operating metrics (revenue or user figures) were disclosed in the article. HOOKIPA Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of immunotherapeutics based on a proprietary arenavirus platform. Its platform includes VaxWave (a replication-deficient viral vector) and TheraT (a replication-attenuated viral vector) designed to induce robust antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and pathogen-neutralizing antibodies and to allow repeat administration. The company's lead programs include HB-101, a prophylactic cytomegalovirus vaccine that completed Phase 1 and is in a Phase 2 trial in CMV-negative patients awaiting kidney transplantation, and HB-201 and HB-202, oncology candidates for HPV-positive cancers. HOOKIPA has entered a collaboration and licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences to jointly research and develop functional cures for HIV and Hepatitis B. The company plans to apply its arenavirus platform to develop additional novel immuno-oncology product candidates and to expand its infectious disease portfolio. HOOKIPA recently completed a $37.4 million Series D financing to support advancement of its clinical development programs. Hookipa Biotech is a clinical-stage company developing next-generation immunotherapies using proprietary arenavirus vector platforms TheraT® and Vaxwave®. Vaxwave® is a replication-defective LCMV-based vector designed to infect dendritic cells and elicit potent, long-lasting immune responses; HB-101, the Vaxwave®-based CMV vaccine, completed a phase 1 trial showing safety and immunogenicity. TheraT® is an attenuated replicating arenavirus platform engineered to elicit strong antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cell responses and has shown robust tumor control in preclinical models. The company is advancing a phase 2 study of its prophylactic CMV vaccine in solid organ transplant patients and a phase 1 TheraT® active immunization trial in head & neck squamous cell carcinoma. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to progress those proof-of-concept clinical trials and to expand the platform into additional disease areas such as prostate cancer. Hookipa Biotech AG develops a novel class of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines based on its proprietary Vaxwave® viral vector platform. The Vaxwave® technology is a replication-defective viral vector designed to stimulate both potent B-cell (antibody) and CD8+ T-cell immune responses and can be administered repeatedly. The company’s lead product candidate, HB101, is a vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV) currently in advanced pre-clinical development and testing. Hookipa plans to use new funding to progress HB101 into Phase I clinical testing and to further industrialize the Vaxwave® technology for partnering and pipeline building. The platform is also being explored for cancer immunotherapy because Vaxwave® vectors are not inhibited by anti-vector immunity and can repeatedly stimulate CD8+ T cell responses against tumor targets. Financially, Hookipa has raised a total of €27 million in equity to date, including the newly announced Series B. Hookipa Biotech is an Austrian biotech startup founded in July 2011 focused on developing next-generation genetic vaccines. The company has developed a proprietary VaxwaveTM technology platform dedicated to genetic vaccines for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of viral diseases. Its lead product is HB101, which Hookipa plans to advance through preclinical development and a Phase I proof-of-concept study. The company intends to use recently raised funds to further industrialize and validate the VaxwaveTM technology and to advance HB101. Hookipa is led by CEO Dr. Katherine Cohen, formerly Senior Vice President for Corporate & Business Development at Intercell AG.

Total raised

$155M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Dec 2023