In addition to non-dilutive financing from BPI France and FONGIT (Switzerland), TheraPPI completes an initial equity financing to advance the development of its lead program targeting ERK/MyD88 interaction, a novel drug target discovered by TheraPPI founders
Patricia Delaite joins the company as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors. John Tchelingerian and Barthélemy Helg join the Board as Independent Directors
February 9, 2025 – Lyon, France and Geneva, Switzerland
TheraPPI Bioscience SAS (“TheraPPI”), a preclinical biotechnology company focused on developing small molecules that modify protein interactions, announced today the first closing of its Pre-Seed financing. All investors have substantial experience in the biotech sector.
TheraPPI will use the proceeds today’s announced to advance the development of its lead program targeting ERK/MyD88, a novel protein interaction in the Ras-MAPK pathway to tackle cancer drug resistance and to offer more effective and safer therapies to patients with advanced cancers.
TheraPPI also announced the inception of TheraPPI Bioscience SA (Geneva, Switzerland) and the nomination of a Board of Directors of this new company. Patricia Delaite, MD, a clinical oncologist and executive in biotech companies, joins the company’s Board as Chairwoman. John Tchelingerian, PhD, a serial entrepreneur and private investor in the biotech sector, and Barthélemy Helg, LL. M. & MBA, an executive in the biotech and food tech sectors, join the company’s Board as independent Directors. Luc Otten, MD, PhD, founder CEO, and Toufic Renno, PhD, founder CSO of TheraPPI, are also Board Directors.
“TheraPPI is developing a first-in-class drug for bringing efficacious therapy to patients with cancer who can’t any longer benefit from modern targeted therapies or immunotherapies. TheraPPI lead program tackles a real unmet medical need by fighting cancer drug resistance, a major cause of death. I am deeply honoured to support TheraPPI on this exciting journey” said Patricia Delaite. “Thanks to the support of our new investors, our Board of Directors, and this open Pre-Seed financing round, we are moving forward by expediting TheraPPI’s lead program and preparing additional developments. The combination of long experience in both academia and industry from the team with strong corporate governance provides a solid foundation for future TheraPPI successes,” added Luc Otten.
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Notes:
About TheraPPI drug programs:
TheraPPI’s first two programs target a novel MAPK protein interaction between ERK and MyD88, discovered by the founder team at the Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, France.
The prognosis of patients with advanced cancers remains poor, and up to 90% of cancer-related deaths are attributed to drug resistance. The MAPK signaling is hyperactivated in over 40% of human cancers, and MAPK-activating mutations are responsible for certain rare diseases. The efficacy of current MAPK Inhibitors is undermined by cancer resistance and by their inability to cure these rare diseases.
TheraPPI’s lead program, which targets ERK/MyD88 interaction, aims to achieve a high rate of clinical responses, overcome cancer resistance, and enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapies, ultimately offering a better prognosis for patients with advanced cancers.
About TheraPPI Bioscience:
TheraPPI is a preclinical-stage biotech company developing protein interaction-modifying drugs to provide patients with better treatments in oncology, rare diseases, and inflammatory conditions. TheraPPI consists of TheraPPI Bioscience SAS based in Lyon, France and TheraPPI Bioscience SA based in Geneva, Switzerland.
TheraPPI was incubated within PULSALYS, Deeptech innovations incubator and accelerator in Lyon and Saint Etienne, France, and has been awarded the French Tech Emergence Grant by BPI France in the context of the “Programme France 2030”. In addition, TheraPPI received a FIF convertible loan from the Fondation Genevoise pour l’Innovation Technologique (“FONGIT”), Geneva, Switzerland.
For more information, please visit our website: https://tppibio.com/
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/therappi-bioscience/
TheraPPI Bioscience SAS corporate address: 28 Rue Laennec, Centre Léon Bérard, 69008 Lyon, France
TheraPPI Bioscience SA corporate address: c/o Fondation Genevoise pour l’Innovation Technologique FONGIT, Route de la Galaise 34, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
Forward Looking Statements:
This press release includes forward-looking statements and assumptions which reflect the management’s current views of future events and operations. These forward-looking statements involve certain significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results may (negatively or positively) differ substantially from the forward-looking statements described explicitly or implicitly by TheraPPI.
Contact:
TheraPPI Bioscience
Luc Otten
CEO and co-founder