Biotech spinout Resolution Therapeutics has announced it has raised £63.5 million in a series B financing round led by healthcare investor Syncona Ltd.
The company, founded by Professor Stuart Forbes of the Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR), has demonstrated preclinical proof of concept of safety and efficacy for RTX001, a novel autologous engineered macrophage cell therapy for end-stage liver disease.
Professor Forbes will be presenting three-year data from the completed MATCH Phase 2 trial, conducted at the IRR with funding from the UK Medical Research Council, at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) conference in November, showing strong promise for macrophage treatment of end-stage liver disease and resulting complications.
A Phase I/II trial called EMERALD received approval in June from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to assess the safety and efficacy of RTX001 in patients with end-stage liver disease. It is expected to be recruiting patients in the UK later this year and in Spain in 2025.
The new funds will be used to execute the EMERALD trial, as well as to allow Resolution to develop its manufacturing platform and expand its pipeline into other inflammatory and fibrotic indications, including graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) and lung fibrosis.
Dr Amir Hefni, Chief Executive Officer of Resolution, said:
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. ”
Dr Andrea Taylor, CEO of Edinburgh Innovations, which supported Professor Forbes through a decade of macrophage research and commercialisation, said:
The journey from lab to clinic is long and arduous and we are delighted to see Resolution approaching clinical stage.
There is currently no treatment for liver cirrhosis, apart from a liver transplant and a life on immunosuppressants, and this therapy brings cautious hope for those suffering from this neglected disease, and potentially other inflammatory conditions too. ”
