ImCheck Therapeutics, a biotech company based in Marseille that is on the cutting edge of the next wave of immunotherapies against cancers and autoimmune diseases, has received 717 thousand EUROs in a grant from the Région Sud and the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This non-dilutive funding complements capital ImCheck has raised from a group of premier life science venture capital funds.
This grant has supported in part ImCheck's translational research platform, which discovers and develops a new generation of therapeutic antibodies. These compounds in development target novel immunological checkpoint modulators (butyrophilins) and mobilize γ9δ2 T cells, an important part of the immune system, to target and kill cancer cells. Since inception, the company has created a total of 33 jobs, mostly scientific, supporting the acceleration of its development programs. Starting in 2020, ImCheck plans to initiate the clinical evaluation of one of its first two oncology drug candidates.
"With this new generation of immunotherapies, we hope to provide more options to patients who are in a therapeutic impasse. The joint support from the Région Sud and the European Union is the perfect illustration of our aim to combine our region's excellence in the field of immuno-oncology with ImCheck's objective to improve cancer therapy worldwide," Pierre d’Epenoux, CEO, stated.
"The support granted to ImCheck once again highlights Europe's commitment to our region. It is also in line with the new regional Economic Development, Innovation and Internationalization plan that we implemented in 2017, as well as the Innovative Therapies section of the Operations of Regional Interest," said Renaud Muselier, Member of the European Parliament and President of the Région Sud. "Immunotherapy is driving a revolution in cancer care and we are lucky to be the home of the only European cluster specialized in research and development for these new drugs. That is why the Région Sud has from the beginning supported this amazing reservoir of innovation known as Marseille Immunopole, but also several of its founding members, starting with ImCheck."