• Cristal Therapeutics

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2017

  Cristal Therapeutics develops nanomedicines that entrap existing and new drugs in proprietary CriPec® polymer nanoparticles to improve distribution, selective release and tolerability. Its lead candidate, CriPec® docetaxel, has shown enhanced efficacy and safety in preclinical studies and completed a clinical phase Ia trial assessing tolerability and pharmacokinetics. The company is advancing CriPec® docetaxel through a planned clinical phase Ib to confirm recommended phase II dosing and expects to start a larger phase II later in the year. Cristal is also developing CriPec® DUO (dual-drug nanoparticles) and CriPec® oligonucleotide delivery programs to broaden therapeutic applications. The company is privately held and based in Maastricht; a recent €12.8 million financing will support the upcoming clinical trials and intensified platform and preclinical development. Cristal has an existing partnership with iTeos Therapeutics to combine CriPec® nanoparticles with immuno-oncology small-molecule modulators. Cristal Therapeutics develops nanomedicines using its patented CriPec® technology to entrap drugs in polymer nanoparticles (0.0001 mm diameter) to improve distribution and enable more selective drug release. The company’s lead program is CriPec® docetaxel, intended to provide more effective chemotherapy with fewer side effects. Preclinical studies since 2011 have demonstrated safety and efficacy for various CriPec®-based candidates in animal models. Cristal plans to begin the first clinical study of CriPec® docetaxel in early 2015. The company completed a financing round of over €6 million to support that clinical start. Leadership changes accompanied the financing: co‑founder Joost Holthuis was appointed CEO effective 1 December 2014, and founder Cristianne Rijcken moved to Chief Scientific Officer.

• BioActor

  Participated · Series A · Jul 2011

  BioActor develops proprietary health ingredients for use in functional foods, medical nutrition and dietary supplements. Its ingredients target chronic health concerns such as diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease that could benefit from preventative dietary measures. The company closed a €2m Series A and intends to use the funds to launch its first product, BONOLIVE, and to finance clinical validation studies for other products in the pipeline. BONOLIVE is clinically proven to stimulate bone-producing cells and will be launched in the USA this year. Investors in the round include ICOS Capital, Nedermaas Ventures and Limburg Ventures, and CEO/founder Hans van der Saag also participated. BioActor operates through alliances with nutrition research institutes (INRA, CSIC, Maastricht University, UCL, Ghent University) and production partnerships with industrial players to shorten commercialization timelines.

• Q Chip

  Led · Series C · May 2011

  Q Chip Limited is a Cardiff, UK–based biopharmaceutical company developing sustained-release drug formulations for cancer and other diseases. Its core platform is a bio-encapsulation and drug delivery technology that enables long-acting injectable therapeutics with tailored sustained-release profiles and improved administration. The company completed a US$6M Series C financing (second close) to support next steps in commercialization and scale-up. Q Chip plans to use the funds for manufacturing and commercialisation of its platform and to establish a sterile pharmaceutical production facility. That facility will be built at its new European manufacturing subsidiary, Q Chip BV, on the Chemelot Campus in the Limburg region of the Netherlands. Named individual backers include the company’s Executive Chairman Ken Powell and investors such as Jon Moulton and Sir Harry Solomon. Q Chip has developed a proprietary, patented micro-fluidic technology that packages high-value pharmaceutical and life-science products in uniform polymer microspheres. The company is a biopharmaceutical drug-delivery firm based in Cardiff, Wales. In December 2009 it secured a £1m venture capital equity financing that will support continued research on its products. The new funds are explicitly earmarked to continue research related to its microsphere packaging technology. The article notes the technology is aimed at high-value pharmaceuticals and life-science applications. No operating metrics such as revenue or user numbers were disclosed in the article.

No current team members are available.