PEP-Therapy is a Paris-based biotechnology company developing cell-penetrating peptides as targeted therapies for cancers. Its lead candidate, PEP-010, is the first of a new class of therapeutic peptides based on the company's Cell Penetrating & Interfering Peptide (CP&IP) technology; these molecules penetrate cells and specifically block relevant intracellular protein-protein interactions. The approach is intended to inhibit key pathological mechanisms without altering physiological mechanisms. The company intends to use the recent financing to fund the Phase I a/b clinical trial of PEP-010. PEP-Therapy raised an additional €2.6m in a Series A extension, bringing the total raised in the round to €5.4m, comprised of equity and a loan. The company previously received a €2.9m grant from the French state innovation fund (FUI) to finance nonclinical and early clinical development. PEP-Therapy is led by CEO Antoine Prestant. PEP-Therapy develops targeted cancer therapies based on a cell-penetrating and interfering peptide (CP&IP) technology that uses bi-functional peptides to enter cells and block pathological mechanisms while sparing normal physiology. The company’s lead product is paired with a predictive biomarker intended to identify patients likely to respond. PEP-Therapy says its first targeted therapy has convincing proof-of-concept in preclinical models representative of human tumors. The funding will support regulatory toxicity studies, described as the final phase before clinical trials. The firm holds a portfolio of targeted therapies built on the same CP&IP approach, developed in collaboration with research institutions including Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Inserm and Institut Curie. Management framed the financing as enabling scale-up of development toward clinical evaluation.

Total raised

$4M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Debt Financing

Latest activity

Jul 2021