On March 12, 2025 Vivace Therapeutics, Inc., a small molecule discovery and development company developing first-in-class cancer therapies targeting the Hippo pathway, reported the closing of a $35 million Series D financing (Press release, Vivace Therapeutics, MAR 12, 2025, View Source [SID1234651104]). The round was led by RA Capital Management, an existing investor, and included investment from other existing investors Canaan Partners and Cenova Capital. Proceeds will support the continued clinical development of the company’s first-in-class and best-in-class transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) autopalmitoylation inhibitor, VT3989, with an initial focus on mesothelioma. In conjunction with the financing, Jake Simson, Ph.D., partner at RA Capital Management, has joined the company’s board of directors.
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VT3989 is a novel small molecule cancer therapeutic that targets the Hippo pathway by inhibiting palmitoylation of members of the TEAD protein family. The compound has been evaluated in more than 150 patients to date in an ongoing, open-label Phase 1 clinical study and is the first and only member of the TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor class for which compelling clinical efficacy data have been publicly reported. In addition to promising efficacy, VT3989 has demonstrated excellent safety in the Phase 1 trial, positioning the compound with a best-in-class profile.
Clinical findings for VT3989 have been particularly notable in patients with mesothelioma who have failed chemotherapy and immuno-oncology combination regimens, which represent the only approved therapies in this indication. These results will be presented at a major medical conference in the second half of 2025. Based on these data, Vivace is working to advance VT3989 toward a randomized registrational Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with mesothelioma and intends to discuss its plans with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this year.
"Since participating in Vivace’s Series C round, we have had a front row seat for the tremendous progress the company has made in its efforts to address the significant unmet treatment need of patients with mesothelioma. The team’s impressive drive and continued execution made our decision to lead this Series D round an easy one," said Dr. Simson. "Based on the clinical progress to date, we believe that VT3989 is well positioned to serve as a dramatic leap forward in the mesothelioma standard of care, offering hope to patients battling a terrible disease with limited treatment options."
"The results of our clinical evaluation of VT3989 to date give us confidence that the appropriate next step for the program is advancement into a registrational Phase 3 trial in patients with mesothelioma. We are now laser focused on executing against this strategy, including completing our ongoing clinical study and meeting with FDA to align on next steps," said Sofie Qiao, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Vivace Therapeutics. "We are grateful to RA Capital for leading this round, as well as the continued support from Canaan Partners and Cenova Capital. This new funding will prove critical to enabling our successful development of VT3989."
About Phase 1 study of VT3989
The Phase 1 study of VT3989 (View Source) is a multi-center, open label trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and biological activity of VT3989 in patients with refractory metastatic solid tumors, including refractory pleural malignant mesothelioma.