Boehringer Ingelheim invests in precision cancer treatments

Ingelheim, Tue, 07/30/2024 - 08:00

Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund has invested in Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd. (Synthetica), a Shenzhen, China based biotech. This investment is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to advancing novel, next generation cancer treatment approaches.

Synthetica aims to deliver therapeutic proteins even more precisely to the tumor by programming living bacteria with artificial genetic circuits.
Synthetic biology enables the design of cancer therapeutic bacteria that release their payload only in response to identifying specific tumor micro-environments. They will only grow in the tumor and not outside of the tumor.
The investment is a Series A funding round, led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Temasek, with additional participation from Lenovo Capital, Fosun Health Capital and ATLATL Summer Fund. The funding will be used to fast-track Synthetica’s oncolytic bacterial pipelines into clinical trials.
Last year Boehringer Ingelheim added a bacterial cancer therapy platform to its pipeline portfolio that can deliver immune-modulating proteins to cancer cells and tumor micro-environments with the acquisition of T3 Pharmaceuticals.

Why it matters

Despite the significant transformation of the cancer treatment landscape by immunotherapies, long-term remissions only occur in 15-20% of cancer patients. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to change this and extend the benefits of immuno-oncology to more cancer patients with a comprehensive portfolio of therapies that boost the immune system and direct it towards cancer cells.
Next generation bacterial cancer treatment platforms in smart combinations with other immuno-oncology and cancer cell directed treatments have the potential to further increase benefits for people living with cancer.

Quote Frank Kalkbrenner, Global Head of the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund: „Oncolytic bacterial therapy represents a completely new therapeutic modality based on various bacterial strains with a large variety of therapeutic activities and is therefore a strategic focus of our investments. The acquisition of T3 Pharma has already resulted in the addition of a therapy platform to Boehringer Ingelheim’s pipeline. We are thus very excited to support Synthetica in advancing next-generation bacterial therapies based on synthetic biology technology with the ultimate goal of transforming the lives of more people living with cancer.”

More info:

Link to Syntetica press release here
The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund invests worldwide in development of pioneering science – from idea to proof of concept – which offer the potential to provide significant benefits firstly for patients and also for our business.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. As one of the industry’s top investors in Research and Development, the company focuses on developing innovative therapies in areas of high unmet medical need. Independent since its foundation in 1885, Boehringer takes a long-term perspective, embedding sustainability along the entire value chain. More than 53,500 employees serve over 130 markets to build a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable tomorrow. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

Created in 2010, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund GmbH (BIVF) invests in ground-breaking companies to drive innovation in biomedical research. BIVF is searching for significant enhancements in patient care through pioneering science and its clinical translation by building long-term relationships with scientists and entrepreneurs. BIVF’s focus is to target unprecedented concepts addressing high medical needs in immuno-oncology, immunology, regenerative medicine, infectious diseases and digital health. For more information, please visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim-venture.com.

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