The News

Sofinnova Partners invests €4 million in Endotis Pharma

20/06/2005

Specialised in glycoscience, Endotis targets two large therapeutic markets:  cancer and inflammatory diseases

Paris, 20 June 2005 – Sofinnova Partners has announced a €4 million round of series A financing in Endotis Pharma, a French biopharmaceutical company in therapeutic glycoscience dedicated to drug discovery and development for cancer and inflammatory diseases. Sofinnova Partners was the sole investor in this initial funding round.

Founded in February 2003 by David Béchard, a scientist and entrepreneur, Endotis is specialised in glycoscience, a new and growing area of medical research that is based on the exploitation of the fundamental glycoscience of protein-sugar interactions and also of a unique class of small molecules, or synthetic sugars, called “small glyco-drugs.”  Sugars (glycans) coat more than 80% of the body’s cell surface and secreted proteins. Endotis’s expertise is in the regulation of protein-sugar interactions and in the synthesis of sugars able to disrupt these interactions. The company’s therapeutic strategy is to modulate the biological activities and also the bioavailability of sugar-binding molecules involved in life threatening disease by modulating protein-sugar interactions either with biological drugs or small glyco-drugs.  Endotis leverages its ability to study protein-sugar interactions with an expertise in synthesising small glyco-drugs through novel and propriety synthetic and medicinal sugar chemistry.

Endotis has already generated leads from its technology platform for two of its small glyco-drugs programs, one in oncology and the other in inflammatory diseases. Endotis is also developing therapeutic antibodies against a novel and proprietary proteoglycan discovered by the company’s founders, called Endocan, involved in the progression of tumours.

“Endotis’s focus on targeting protein-sugar interactions and on making small glyco-drugs represents a highly innovative, feasible approach to targeting cancer and inflammatory diseases that will potentially complement existing therapeutic treatments of these indications,” says Rafaèle Tordjman, MD, PhD, Investment Manager at Sofinnova Partners who led the investment. “Endotis is one of the very few groups that have the expertise to design these drugs. The company possesses the intellectual property for its targets and its first drugs, and it has already secured exclusive collaboration agreements with several world-renown research departments, including the CEA (French Agency for Atomic Energy) and the CNRS (French Center for Scientific Research).

 “We are very pleased to have received this initial round of financing from Sofinnova Partners, which we will use to build up our R&D team and facilities and to accelerate the development of Endocan and our glyco-drug leads, “ said David Béchard, chairman, CEO and co-founder.” With a PhD in Biotech from University Droit et Santé Lille II, Béchard previously worked at OC&C Strategy Consultants, a strategy consulting firm dedicated to merger/acquisition and corporate growth in the field of pharmaceutical/biotech industry and venture capital.

For further information, please contact:

Rafaèle Tordjman
Sofinnova Partners
Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 05 41 00 / 06
rtordjman@sofinnova.fr

Madeleine Resener
Media Relations
Sofinnova Partners
Tel: +33 (0) 6 20 41 39 82
mresener@sofinnova.fr

About Sofinnova Partners
Founded in Paris in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is one of Europe's leading independent venture capital firms. With €900 million under management, Sofinnova Partners invests in start-ups and early-stage companies in information technology and life sciences. Its investment strategy consists of investing early in teams and projects with high potential, most often acting as lead or co-lead investor. Sofinnova Partners also benefits from a long-established relationship with its sister company in San Francisco, Sofinnova Ventures. Sofinnova Partners’ teams consist of 10 professionals who bring valuable market insight and technical expertise to portfolio companies.