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Newly launched TCR company ALKemist Bio announces a €6.9M Investment Round to develop first-in-class TCR Cell Therapy for ALK-Positive Tumors

  • Pietro Puglisi
  • 21 dic 2023
  • Tempo di lettura: 5 min

Turin, Italy — December 21st 2023 — ALKemist Bio emerges from the research conducted by Roberto Chiarle, Professor of pathology at the University of Turin and Director of the haemolymphopathology Department of the European Institute of Oncology, in Milan. The newly launched biotechnology company is based in Turin, Italy, and develops cellular immunotherapies based on engineering immune system cells with T-cell receptors (TCR-T cells), immune receptors that enable the recognition and elimination of cancer cells expressing the ALK oncogene (from Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase) in patients with ALK-positive tumors.


The launch of ALKemist Bio is announced together with a €6.9 million investment round led by Claris Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to supporting biotech startups emerging from the Italian scientific ecosystem. The round is joined by the Turin-based venture firm LIFTT and private investors from Club Degli Investitori, Simon Fiduciaria, the trust hub of Ersel Group, and Italian Angels for Growth. Professor Roberto Chiarle, scientific founder of ALKemist Bio, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “The launch of ALKemist Bio represents a critical milestone in our journey toward providing effective, personalized treatments for ALKpositive cancers. With the invaluable support of our investors, we are aiming to make a significant impact on patients with ALK-positive cancer”.


ALK-positive cancers constitute a subset of aggressive malignancies affecting various organs, including lung cancer, lymphomas, and rare pediatric cancers. These malignancies present significant challenges due to the frequent acquisition of resistance to the standard of care, indicating the need for innovative therapies. The cellular immuno-based therapy approach being developed by ALKemist Bio aims to unleash the patient’s immune system by generating T cells engineered to recognize and destroy cancer cells harboring the ALK oncogene, offering a tailored and potentially curative treatment strategy.


"The therapeutic strategy proposed by Prof. Chiarle is in line with our commitment to starting new companies that aspire to have a transformative impact on patients' lives," says Pietro Puglisi, Partner at Claris Ventures. "We are excited to support ALKemist Bio's journey from its inception and to be able to contribute to the development of an innovative approach for patients with oncogenic ALK mutations" adds Lola Buono, Associate at Claris Ventures.


“LIFTT's investment underlines our confidence in the transformative potential of ALKemist Bio's T-cell receptor cell therapies. By supporting this innovative project, we intend to contribute to the advancement of personalized and autologous treatments and offer hope to patients suffering from cancers caused by the ALK oncogene. This is in line with our commitment to invest in impactful solutions that push the boundaries of medical progress in the oncology space.” – remarks Francesca Mongardi, Project Manager at LIFTT.


"The birth and growth of ALKemist Bio represents an exciting and significant moment in the field of biotechnology and the fight against ALK-positive cancers. We are proud to support this innovative journey" said Mauro Ferrari and Giorgio Barberis, members of the Club degli Investitori and club deal representatives in this project. “The investment in ALKemist Bio underlines our ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and frontier therapeutic solutions. The members of Club degli Investitori who participated, jointly with other private investors, in this deal through the Simon Fiduciaria, are excited to be part of this important initiative and look forward to ALKemist Bio's progress in bringing new and potentially life-saving therapies to patients with ALK-positive cancers” they add.


“With passion and determination, we are investing in the future with ALKemist Bio, to defeat ALK-positive tumors and bring hope to those in need. Today, the life expectancy of ALK-positive tumor patients is decidedly limited, with ALKemist Bio we are challenging this status quo, to offer a new life expectancy to those who fight this relentless disease” – adds Christian Marchesi and Alessandro Lattuada, Champion IAG in this investment.

About ALKemist Bio

ALKemist Bio is a biotechnology company founded in Turin, Italy, in 2023. The company stems from the research of Professor Roberto Chiarle, and is focused on developing a TCR cell therapy targeting the ALK oncogene for ALK-positive cancer patients.



About Claris Ventures

Claris Ventures is a biotech-focused venture capital firm based in Turin (Italy). Its first fund under management, Claris Biotech I, was backed by the European Investment Fund, CDP Venture Capital, and other institutional and private LPs. The fund was launched to enable the creation and financing of new ventures born from top Italian research, pursuing international success. The firm aims at the highest impact possible on highly unmet patients’ needs, building value around strong science. Claris Ventures’ pursuit for high potential projects involves every research center, clinical structure, and company in the Italian life sciences network, whether the founding team is based in Italy, or includes Italian scientists abroad with strong links with Italy.



About LIFTT

LIFTT is an Italian Venture Capital chaired by the scientist-entrepreneur Stefano Buono. Operating in every industry with a focus on deep-tech, to date it has completed 45 investments in innovative start-ups. While generating value for its shareholders, LIFTT supports the creation of businesses, development, employment, and economic growth, through the implementation of an ethical and transparent governance model.


To learn more, please visit: www.liftt.com


About Club degli Investitori

Club degli Investitori is an influential Business Angel Network, renowned for empowering innovation and entrepreneurship among Italian founders worldwide. Established in 2008, the Club boasts nearly 400 business angels, who collectively have invested more than €50 million in 60 companies, significantly contributing to raising more than €2 billion and creating over 6,500 jobs. In 2022 alone, Club degli Investitori invested €13 million in support of 23 innovative companies, marking a 30% growth from the previous year. The Club’s portfolio includes diverse sectors such as cleantech, fintech, medtech, and AI, with notable successes. Demonstrating a commitment to global innovation, 15% of its new members are international, helping startups in the portfolio pursue global ambitions. Beyond capital, the Club actively engages in mentorship and strategic support, dedicating over 5,600 hours to innovative projects annually. With its expansive network and hands-on approach, Club degli Investitori continues to be a cornerstone in the Italian and international venture capital landscape.



About Simon Fiduciaria

Simon Fiduciaria is the fiduciary and trust company of Ersel Group which since 1936 has been a specialist in wealth management and a unique company in Italy for its absolute independence, professionalism, quality of service, and direct and personal relationship with the client. Founded in 1986, Simon Fiduciaria stands out for its independence as well as its operational and professional qualities, to fully meet the needs of its customers. As a reference point for the Italian fiduciary market, with over 7 billion administered assets, Simon Fiduciaria has developed, alongside fiduciary and trust heading services, an innovative service dedicated to large private and institutional assets, with independent and analytical monitoring that offers an aggregated view of allocation, performance, and risks, and highlights potential areas for improvement.


About Italian Angels for Growth (IAG)

IAG is the leading Network-Powered Venture Capital investor in Italy: more than 500 business angels from the entrepreneurial, financial, and industrial worlds have come through the IAG network, investing time, expertise, and capital for the growth of innovative startups. Among the first Italian investors in the early stage, IAG, in sixteen years of activity, has analyzed more than 6,500 investment opportunities and closed more than 110 deals, for a total of more than 550 million euros invested by IAG members and its coinvestors, which have generated +1100 jobs and 310 million in generated revenues, creating an ecosystem involving more than 150 national and international partners. Four operating offices: Milan, Rome, Florence, and Udine.


 
 
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