Curve Therapeutics has raised £40.5 million in Series A financing to develop breakthrough cancer treatments.
Curve, based in Southampton, is a BioTech company pioneering an intracellular screening platform addressing complex and challenging disease targets.
The platform, Microcycle, enables the direct discovery of biologically active molecules against targets that have been difficult to address using conventional drug discovery methods. By using Microcycle, Curve is developing a pipeline of breakthrough cancer treatments.
British Patient Capital made a £10m investment through its Future Fund: Breakthrough programme and co-investment programme. It joins other investors including Pfizer Ventures, Columbus Venture Partners, Advent Life Sciences and Epidarex Capital.
The investment will enable Curve to progress its assets rapidly towards clinical development.
“We are pleased to welcome British Patient Capital alongside our existing strong syndicate of investors,” said CEO Simon Kerry. “Curve’s Microcycle platform is a powerful tool for drug discovery, enabling an unparalleled advantage in the discovery of functional hits and leads.
“We look forward to maximising the potential of our platform to further develop a rich pipeline of programmes with the potential to treat unmet clinical needs in a diverse range of diseases, including cancer.”
The £375m Future Fund: Breakthrough programme invests in research and development-intensive UK companies with cutting edge technologies.
In the recent Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that the Future Fund: Breakthrough programme is being extended with at least an additional £50m to invest in high-growth, innovative firms.
Ian Connatty, managing director, direct & co-investment at British Patient Capital, added: “The UK is a world leader in life sciences and Curve Therapeutics is yet another example of how this country continues to push the boundaries of innovation.
“Curve is developing a pipeline of first in class cancer treatments using its drug discovery platform. We are delighted to support them as they embark on the next steps in their growth journey.”