Pressemeddelelse fra Synklino ApS
- Mr. Thomas Feldthus, MBA, M.Sc., HD(A), Mrs. Lene Gerlach, Ph.D. and Dr. Magnus Persson, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor, join the Board of Directors
- Synklino initiates financing round with North Finance, backed by current investors Vækstfonden and Eir Ventures
Copenhagen, Denmark, 5 October 2021 – Synklino ApS, a biotech company developing a first-in-class breakthrough therapy to eliminate cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in the transplant setting, today announces the appointment of Thomas Feldthus, Lene Gerlach and Magnus Persson to its Board of Directors. The new board members will join the existing board chaired by Dr. John Haurum and comprising Mr. Mads Laustsen and Scientific co-founder, professor Mette Rosenkilde. The strengthening of the board coincides with a financing round backed by current investors.
Thomas Kledal, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer said: “We are very pleased to again being able attract high caliber individuals, who have the unique expertise to support Synklino on its very ambitious journey, ultimately providing patients a chance to live a full life after transplantation.
Thomas’ finance experience, Lene’s management experience, and Magnus’ clinical and investment experience will be important as the company moves to its next stage of growth and development.”
In accordance with the expansion of the board, Synklino is seeking to raise DKK 35m in a financing round to finance manufacturing, the concluding pre-clinical activities and prepare for clinical trials in transplant patients. Eir Ventures and Vaekstfonden Venture are lead investors in the financing round.
Mr. Thomas Feldthus (independent) is an entrepreneur with extensive strategic financial management experience within the life science industry. Thomas is cofounder of Saniona (Nasdaq OMX), Scandion Oncology (Nasdaq First North), Initiator Pharma (Spotlight), Symphogen (acq. by Servier), and Ataxion (acq. by Novartis). Thomas’ previous roles include CFO of Saniona, CFO of Symphogen, Investment Associate at Novo A/S and Corporate Development Manager at Novo Nordisk. Thomas currently serves on the board of Rehaler, Scandion Oncology and ResoTher Pharma and holds an MBA (Sloan Fellow) from London Business School and an M.Sc. from the Technical University of Denmark, DTU.
“I am delighted to join the Board and look forward to working with Synklino’s leadership team and my fellow board members as the company seeks to translate its strong preclinical findings into clinically meaningful results within organ transplantation. Furthermore, the technology provides medical and commercial opportunities beyond transplantation as it offers the promise for a potential cure to some of the most devasting chronic viral infections causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide including hepatitis, HPV, and EBV” says Thomas Feldthus.
Mrs. Lene Gerlach (Vækstfonden) is responsible for early-stage investments and business development in Life Science companies. Previous roles include Vice President of Visiopharm A/S, Vice President of Action Pharma (sold to Abbott in 2012), and consultant at University of Copenhagen establishing research-based life science start-ups. Lene has extensive board experience, has been a member of more than 20 boards, 18 as chairman, a vast knowledge within Intellectual Property Rights from Plougmann & Vingtoft and Albihns and VC experience from Borean Innovation, Denmark. Lene holds an M.Sc. in Human Biology and a Ph.D. in NeuroScience from University of Copenhagen.
“Synklino is a perfect example of how research and innovation in the universities can develop into a life science company with global competitive edge and high commercial potential. Vækstfonden is very pleased to see the progress of the company and is looking forward to a closer collaboration being part of the board and a long-term investor” says Lene Gerlach.
Dr. Magnus Persson (Eir Ventures) is a Physician and Scientist, who early in his career successfully founded and sold a medical technology company (Aerocrine). He then joined Sanofi and subsequently has been a Partner at two life science Venture Capital firms, HealthCap in Stockholm, and The Column Group in San Francisco. He has played a key role in dozens of investments and exits. Lately, he has been an independent Chairman and Board member in several private and public companies in the Nordics, as well as in the US, and worked on a weekly basis as a clinician. Magnus has been actively involved in a number of successful pharma spinouts. He has experience from the academic incubator space as CEO at Karolinska Institute Holding.
“The lead candidate is a novel therapeutic for chronic cytomegalovirus virus (CMV) infection causing severe problems in transplantation. As a biologic, the risk of off-target side effects is relatively low. Furthermore, it has already been demonstrated ex vivo that the product clears the infection in human lungs from a CMV infected doner. Therefore, the program has a high probability of being successful” adds Magnus Persson.
About Synklino
Synklino is a Danish biotech company developing groundbreaking therapies against cytomegalovirus (CMV), a devastating virus infection. It is a spin-out from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark and previously incubated at the BioInnovation Institute. The company is backed by renowned Nordic funds Eir Ventures and Vaekstfonden. Synklino’s first-in-class drug candidate SYN002 specifically targets CMV infection in transplantation and aims to change the current antiviral treatment paradigm by providing radically different therapeutic opportunities and a path for transplant recipients to live a full life again.
About Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a β-herpesvirus. CMV is a ubiquitous, chronic viral infection found in more than >60% of adults worldwide. Initial infection in healthy immunocompetent individuals result in productive (lytic) infection and is mainly asymptomatic. Like all herpesvirus, CMV establish life-long latent infection, incorporating its DNA into host cells. CMV reactivation from latency is a major concern in transplant recipients due to the need for concomitant immunosuppressive therapy. Reactivation occurs due to the transition of latent CMV into lytic phase. Active infection and accumulation of a high viral load in immunosuppressed patients lead to various CMV disease manifestations including graft organ rejection, developmental and neurological defects, and death. CMV has a major impact on morbidity and mortality in transplantation, adding ~50% in costs to transplantation via readmission or lengthened hospital stay and the treatment of CMV represents a major unmet medical need. No current marketed or pipeline treatments have the potential to cure CMV and the current standard of care increases the risk of developing resistance.
About Eir Ventures
Eir Ventures is a Life science focused venture fund, with a strong foundation in the Nordic Biotech ecosystem, that will invest in companies at early stage, as well as more mature opportunities. The fund started its investment activities in 2020 and seeks investment opportunities addressing significant unmet medical needs for new therapies, medical technology and digital health. Eir Ventures AB is led by a team of experienced life science investors, and backed by a strong investor syndicate including Saminvest, the European Investment Fund (EIF), Vækstfonden, Novo Holdings, private investors as well as Nordic universities. Eir Ventures is a registered alternative investment fund, under the Swedish Alternative Investment Funds Managers Act.
About Vaekstfonden
Vaeksfonden is the Danish state’s investment fund. Working in close collaboration with banks and domestic and international investors, Vaekstfonden discovers and develops high-quality technological companies in Denmark. The power of innovation, yield to society and responsibility are the three signposts that guide Vaekstfonden in finding and choosing new projects. Since 1992, Vaekstfonden has contributed more than DKK 42 billion to help develop and grow more than 11.000 companies.
Kontakt:
Synklino
Thomas Kledal, CEO
tnk@synklino.com
Læs hele pressemeddelelsen på Via Ritzau her: https://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/synklino-strengthens-board-of-directors-and-initiates-finance-round?releaseId=13632930
** Ovenstående pressemeddelelse er videreformidlet af Ritzau på vegne af tredjepart. Ritzau er derfor ikke ansvarlig for indholdet **
