Tanai Therapeutics verkrijgt bijkomende financiering van Novo Nordisk en BioGeneration Ventures voor nieuw geneesmiddel tegen obesitas

Gent, België, 19 september 2024 – Tanai Therapeutics (“het Bedrijf” of “Tanai”), een VIB spin-off bedrijf dat een nieuwe therapeutische klasse van obesitasbehandelingen ontwikkelt, kondigt vandaag aan dat het extra kapitaal heeft opgehaald bij Novo Nordisk A/S en BioGeneration Ventures ​ (“BGV”) naast de bestaande investeerders V-Bio Ventures, Qbic en VIB, waardoor de totale zaaironde tot nu toe op meer dan EUR 6 miljoen komt. Tanai ontwikkelt een oraal geneesmiddel dat gericht is op een nieuwe, genetisch gevalideerde pathway bij obesitas die een sleutelrol speelt bij het energieverbruik.

Daarnaast kondigt Tanai Therapeutics ook de aanstelling aan van vooraanstaande experten Prof. Bill Haynes, Prof. Susanne la Fleur, Prof. Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, Prof. Mads Tang-Christensen, Prof. Matthias Tschöp en wetenschappelijk oprichter Prof. Savvas Savvides in de nieuw opgerichte Wetenschappelijke Adviesraad.

Tanai Therapeutics werd opgericht in 2023 op basis van onderzoek aan het VIB-UGent Centrum voor Inflammatieonderzoek en met zaaigeld van V-Bio Ventures als hoofdinvesteerder, Qbic en VIB. Het extra kapitaal van Novo Nordisk, een toonaangevend wereldwijd bedrijf op vlak van gezondheidszorg met een sterke geschiedenis in stofwisselingsziekten, en BGV, een vooraanstaand Europees durfkapitaalfonds met een bewezen staat van dienst in het uitbouwen van biotechbedrijven van de volgende generatie, zal cruciaal zijn om Tanai’s innovatieve behandelingen voor obesitas naar een in-vivo proof-of-concept te brengen.

“Door zijn unieke werkingsmechanisme heeft het genetisch gevalideerde geneesmiddeldoelwit van Tanai het potentieel om selectief vetverlies te bevorderen door het energieverbruik te verhogen met behoud van spiermassa, wat een veelbelovende nieuwe aanpak in de behandeling van obesitas biedt”, zegt Karin Conde-Knape, Senior Vice President, Global Drug Discovery bij Novo Nordisk. “Tanai Therapeutics is de eerste aandeleninvestering via ons Science2Medicine iNNvest programma, dat tot doel heeft innovatieve biotechbedrijven binnen het cardiometabolisme te stimuleren en te ondersteunen, en we kijken ernaar uit om samen te werken met alle stakeholders.”

“Bij BGV hebben we dit nieuwe therapeutische gebied al van voor de snelle groei actief opgevolgd, en hebben we meerdere investeringsvoorstellen beoordeeld. Het werkingsmechanisme van Tanai is zeer gedifferentieerd en heeft daarom heel veel potentieel bij de aanpak van obesitas,” besluit Rianne Ellenbroek, Principal bij BGV. “De samenstelling van deze vooraanstaande wetenschappelijke adviesraad onderstreept ons vertrouwen in de innovatieve aanpak van Tanai en diens belofte om een revolutie teweeg te brengen in de behandeling van obesitas.”

Jérôme Van Biervliet, Managing Director bij VIB, voegde hieraan toe: “Samen met V-Bio Ventures en Qbic zijn we verheugd om de nieuwe investeerders en wetenschappelijk adviseurs te verwelkomen. We zijn vereerd om nauw samen te werken met zulke prominente experts in het veld, wat een sterke bevestiging is van het potentieel van de nieuwe therapeutische aanpak van Tanai. Deze samenwerking en financiering zullen Tanai Therapeutics toelaten om zijn obesitasprogramma naar belangrijke mijlpalen te brengen, en we kijken ernaar uit om over de successen van het bedrijf te rapporteren.”

***EINDE***

Joran Lauwers

Media Relations, VIB

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joran.lauwers@vib.be+32 478 99 33 98

Lies Vanneste

Investor Relations Manager, VIB

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IR@vib.be+32 498 05 35 79

Nota voor de redactie:

Bio Prof. Savvas Savvides

Savvas Savvides, scientific founder of Tanai Therapeutics, is Professor at Ghent University and Group Leader at the VIB, where he leads an interdisciplinary research program focused on deciphering the structure, mechanism, and modulation of proteins crucial to energy metabolism, immunity, inflammation, and cancer. Prof. Savvides has made seminal contributions to understanding cytokine-mediated receptor assemblies and has connected these insights to health and disease. His work extends beyond research, encompassing translational science, entrepreneurial ventures, and serving as key-opinion-leader in structural biology and its applications in protein engineering and drug development. Dedicated to scholarly and public service, Prof. Savvides is committed to educating and mentoring the next generation of structural biologists and is actively involved in international science policy and governance.

Bio Prof. Bill Haynes

Bill Haynes is a Corporate Vice President in the Global Drug Discovery organization at Novo Nordisk and a visiting professor in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford. He trained in medicine and translational research in the UK and was a professor of endocrinology and cardiovascular diseases at the University of Iowa, where he made key discoveries in leptin biology and obesity-related cardiovascular disease. Since 2013, he has led innovative drug discovery projects at Novartis, AstraZeneca, and for the past five years at Novo Nordisk, with expertise in translational medicine and early development, and is currently a member of key Novo Nordisk Research and Early Development governance committees. Prof. Haynes is a fellow of The Obesity Society and an elected senior member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

Bio Prof. Susanne la Fleur

Susanne la Fleur is a full professor at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in the neurobiology of energy metabolism. She earned her PhD from the University of Amsterdam and completed her post-doctoral training at UCSF in San Francisco, USA. Her research focusses on the interaction between energy metabolism and the brain, particularly in the contexts of obesity and diabetes. Prof. la Fleur bridges basic science with clinical applications, translating insights from rodent models to human studies and vice versa.

Bio Prof. Sir Stephen O’Rahilly

Stephen O'Rahilly MD FRS is an endocrinologist and professor of clinical biochemistry and medicine at the University of Cambridge. He researches the etiology and pathophysiology of human metabolic and endocrine disorders and how such information might be used to improve the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of these diseases. Prof. Sir O’Rahilly has received numerous international scientific awards, is an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences and received a Knighthood in 2013.

Bio Prof. Mads Tang-Christensen

Mads Tang-Christensen, MD PhD, is Adjunct Professor at Monash University and a seasoned senior executive in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, specializing in cardiometabolic disorders. He co-founded and held executive roles in several biotech companies including Rheoscience, Gubra, Embark Laboratories, Antag Therapeutics and Incipiam Pharma. Prof. Tang-Christensen also has a decade-long tenure at Novo Nordisk as Vice President and Corporate Vice President, where he served as Global Head of obesity and liver disease. He excels in translating innovative ideas from inception through to clinical development, building organisations and executing strategic initiatives.

Bio Prof. Matthias Tschöp

Matthias Tschöp is the CEO of Helmholtz Munich, Vice President of the Helmholtz Association, and an Alexander von Humboldt Professor at the Technical University of Munich. He has made groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of gut-brain signaling, leading to the discovery of the first highly effective drugs for human obesity. In collaboration with chemist Richard DiMarchi, he developed dual and triple gut hormone multi-agonists, with a first representative now FDA-approved. Prof. Tschöp has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards, including the Banting Medal, the Heinrich Wieland Prize, and the Ernst Schering Prize.

About BGV
​BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) is a venture capital company, with a focus on early-stage European biotech companies. With a strong track record of significant financial returns through its investments in healthcare innovations and providing the expertise to build world-class companies, BGV manages over 450 million euro across 6 funds, and invests in areas where true scientific innovations, unmet medical needs, and the potential to demonstrate a significant proof of concept all converge. BGV strives to work with founding teams to progress science and build successful companies and uses its experience to guide progress into clinical trials, leading to successful drug development and value realization for its investors. BGV applies its expertise in a rigorous process to select the most compelling opportunities with the best prospects for exit. The Company is based in Naarden, The Netherlands. BGV operates a joint venture partnership with Forbion, a leading European life sciences venture capital fund which currently manages €3.2 bn across 9 funds. For more information, please visit: http://www.biogenerationventures.com.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease.

About Qbic

Qbic is a sector-agnostic seed and early-stage venture capital fund, focusing on creating impact through the transformation of technological breakthroughs into sustainable business. The fund’s goal is to support young innovative companies that valorize research from Qbic’s knowledge partners. Qbic typically participates in the first external investment round of a company and continues to support and invest in these companies throughout their growth. Learn more at www.qbic.be.

About V-Bio Ventures

V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life sciences companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational innovations in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. Learn more at https://v-bio.ventures.

About VIB

VIB is a leading life sciences research institute based in Belgium, renowned for its work in medical sciences, plant biology, microbiology, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. VIB's mission is to push the boundaries of scientific discovery, transform it into disruptive biotech innovations and support the growth of the life sciences ecosystem in Flanders (Belgium). VIB is a partnership with KU Leuven, Ghent University, University of Antwerp, University of Hasselt and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. VIB drives the translation of research discoveries into innovative products and technologies for patients and society. It does so by launching new spin-offs, licensing intellectual property to companies, engaging in dynamic partnerships and fostering talent development. VIB has created 39 spin-offs in the healthcare and agrifood sectors, attracting over €1.8 billion in equity investment and has partnered intensely with private industry, generating over €350 million in income. VIB’s research has led to dozens of innovative products brought to market for medical, agriculture, and food applications, with many more in development. Seven of its spin-off companies have reached the clinical stage. Learn more at www.vib.be.

About Tanai Therapeutics

Tanai Therapeutics is a Belgian biotech company pioneering a novel treatment for obesity. It was founded in 2023 as a spin-off from VIB and UGent with the support of V-Bio Ventures and Qbic. Its scientific foundation originates from the ground-breaking research of Prof. Savvas Savvides and Prof. Charlotte Scott from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research. Tanai Therapeutics is developing an oral, first-in-class therapeutic targeting a genetically validated pathway in obesity critical to energy expenditure. The company has raised over EUR 6 million in seed financing from a syndicate of investors, including V-Bio Ventures, Qbic, VIB, BioGeneration Ventures and Novo Nordisk.