Financing to advance lead asset RTX001, an engineered,
pro-regenerative macrophage therapy with first-in-class potential
for end-stage liver disease, into the Phase I/II EMERALD
study
Proceeds also strengthen manufacturing capabilities and
support macrophage therapy pipeline growth in inflammatory and
fibrotic indications beyond liver disease
Paul Sekhri, seasoned life
sciences executive with decades of drug development and extensive
business development experience, appointed Chair of the Board of
Directors
EDINBURGH, Scotland and LONDON, Oct. 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Resolution Therapeutics Limited
("Resolution"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused
on unlocking the regenerative potential of macrophage therapy for
the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, today
announces it has raised £63.5 million in Series B financing. The
financing was led by Syncona Ltd. Alongside the financing,
Resolution also announces the appointment of Paul Sekhri as Chair of the Board of
Directors.
"As we prepare to advance RTX001, our lead investigational
macrophage therapy with first-in-class potential for the treatment
of end-stage liver disease, into the clinic this year, we are
grateful for Syncona's continued support," said Amir Hefni, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of
Resolution. "In addition, we are pleased to welcome
Paul Sekhri to our Board of
Directors. Paul brings a wealth of experience leading top-tier
companies to develop breakthrough medicines, including novel
treatments for patients with autoimmune disease. The team and I
look forward to working with Paul to bring novel macrophage
therapies, like RTX001, to patients in need."
Amir continued, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would
also like to thank Lisa Bright for
her impactful contributions as Chair of Resolution over the last 4
years. Her vision and leadership have been instrumental in
driving our strategic initiatives, fostering a culture of
scientific excellence and getting Resolution to clinical stage. We
wish her all the best."
The proceeds from the Series B financing will be used to advance
Resolution's lead candidate, RTX001, an autologous, engineered,
pro-regenerative macrophage cell therapy specifically designed to
deliver transformative outcomes in patients with end-stage liver
disease. EMERALD, Resolution's first-in-human Phase I/II clinical
trial, will be conducted in the UK and Spain and is anticipated to initiate patient
recruitment in Q4 2024. Additional uses of proceeds include
investment in the Company's manufacturing platform and expansion of
its pipeline into other inflammatory and fibrotic indications,
including graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) and lung fibrosis.
"The data that Resolution has generated to date in this emerging
area of medicine is encouraging and, in our view, demonstrates the
potential that macrophages have in treating end-stage liver
disease. This is a potential first-in-class product being developed
for a disease where patients have no effective therapeutic options
and typically face a liver transplant or further deterioration of
their condition, which is often fatal," said Edward Hodgkin, Managing Partner of Syncona
Investment Management Limited and Non-Executive Director of
Resolution. "We are delighted to continue to support Resolution
with our commitment to its Series B financing, in-line with
Syncona's focus on allocating capital to clinical-stage assets and
assets approaching clinical entry. We are also very pleased to
welcome to Resolution Paul Sekhri, who brings a demonstrable track
record in supporting companies through the development cycle and
will act as a valuable sounding board for the company's growing
executive team."
Paul Sekhri has been appointed as
Chair of the Board of Directors. Paul has over 35 years of
experience in the life sciences industry, including leading
business development and strategy in major pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies where he has a successful track record of
partnering, M&A and financing. Currently, Paul is President and
Chief Executive Officer of vTv Therapeutics, Inc. Before that, he
served as President and Chief Executive Officer of eGenesis, Inc.
and Lycera Corp. Prior to that, he held positions of increasing
responsibility at Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., TPG
Biotech, Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ARIAD Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., and Novartis AG. Paul holds a B.S. degree from the
University of Maryland and completed
post-graduate studies at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine.
Paul Sekhri, Chair of the
Board of Directors, said, "I am delighted to join
Resolution at such an exciting time as it prepares to enter the
clinic with RTX001 and expand pipeline efforts into new indications
where significant unmet patient need exists. I look forward to
collaborating with Amir, the entire Resolution team and supporting
the Company as it expands its leadership in macrophage
therapy."
About RTX001
RTX001 is an engineered autologous macrophage cell therapy
designed to deliver increased anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory
effects in patients with end-stage liver disease. The product
candidate is engineered using a unique combination of therapeutic
genes known to be expressed in macrophages to enhance the inherent
regenerative properties of the modality for superior efficacy and
durability. The clinical development program for RTX001 currently
consists of two clinical studies. The ongoing OPAL study is a
multi-center natural history study in patients with liver cirrhosis
who have been hospitalized for the first time with hepatic
decompensation. The objective of the OPAL study is to generate
novel data on disease trajectory to act as the control arm for the
EMERALD study. The Phase I/II EMERALD study is an open-label
first-in-human study of RTX001 in end-stage liver disease measuring
clinical events as the primary efficacy endpoint. The EMERALD study
has received clinical trial authorization from the UK MHRA and is
expected to initiate patient recruitment in the fourth quarter of
2024.
About Resolution Therapeutics
Resolution Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on unlocking the regenerative potential of
macrophage therapy for the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic
diseases. The Company leverages its proprietary cell
characterisation and engineering platform to develop autologous
macrophages with distinct pro-regenerative properties for superior
patient outcomes across the spectrum of inflammatory and fibrotic
diseases. Resolution's initial focus is on developing RTX001, its
lead product candidate with first-in-class potential supported by
preclinical data demonstrating anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory
advantages relative to non-engineered macrophages, for patients
diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. The Company is also
advancing efforts to expand the potential of its platform into
indications beyond liver disease where engineered macrophages have
therapeutic potential. Resolution, a spinout from Professor
Stuart Forbes's lab at the
University of Edinburgh, is based in
Edinburgh and London. Learn more by
visiting https://resolution-tx.com/ and engage with us
on LinkedIn.
About Syncona
Syncona's purpose is to invest to extend and enhance human life.
We do this by creating, building and scaling companies to deliver
transformational treatments to patients in areas of high unmet
need.
We aim to build and maintain a diversified portfolio of 20-25
globally leading life science businesses, across development stage,
modality and therapeutic area, for the benefit of all our
stakeholders. We focus on developing treatments that deliver
patient impact by working in close partnership with world-class
academic founders and experienced management teams. Our balance
sheet underpins our strategy, enabling us to take a long-term view
as we look to improve the lives of patients with no or poor
treatment options, build sustainable life science companies and
deliver strong risk-adjusted returns to shareholders.
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SOURCE Resolution Therapeutics