On August 1, 2019 ImCheck Therapeutics, a biotech company on the cutting edge of the next wave of immunotherapies against cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported the award of €2 million from Bpifrance to contribute to the development of its most advanced novel cancer immunotherapy program. With this additional financing, ImCheck has obtained a total of €3.7 million in non-dilutive funding since its €20 million Series A in 2017 (Press release, ImCheck Therapeutics, AUG 1, 2019, View Source [SID1234537964]).
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The financing is part of the ‘Deeptech’ fund from Bpifrance and represents both grants and a reimbursement loan. The support will be dedicated to conducting initial clinical studies of ICT01, a novel therapeutic anti-BTN3A activating monoclonal antibody designed to promote an anti-tumor response by γ9δ2 T cells. To date, ICT01 has demonstrated activity in a range of in vitro and in vivo tumor models.
ImCheck Therapeutics plans on completing all preclinical confirmatory studies before the end of the year to enable the start of clinical development of ICT01 during the first quarter of 2020. The first study will be a Phase I dose escalation trial using the anti-BTN3A antibody as a single agent in solid and hematologic malignancies, followed by a combination study with anti-PD-1/L1 antibodies.
"With the Deeptech program, Bpifrance supports companies in the research and development phase of a breakthrough innovation closely linked to public/private research with high barriers to entry and highly differentiated, before its industrial and commercial launch. Bpifrance supports several companies in the highly-innovative and highly-competitive field of immuno-oncology. We view ImCheck’s projects as unique and very well-positioned and we are pleased to continue to support ICT01’s development and its entry in the clinic. This €2m grant follows a first €1m funding awarded by Bpifrance in July 2017 as part of our Award for Innovation Development program," said Françoise Marchand, Project Innovation Officer at Bpifrance.
"This new financial support from Bpifrance is a validation of the potential of our pipeline and recognition of the progress we have achieved in rapidly advancing our first antibody candidate toward clinical evaluation. We remain on target to begin the trial at the start of 2020. Benefiting from the "Deeptech" fund is also an important step for ImCheck as it underlines our innovative position in immuno-oncology," concluded Pierre d’Epenoux, CEO of ImCheck Therapeutics.