Themis, a Vienna, Austria-based developer of a vaccine for Chikungunya, secured €40M in Series D financing.
The round was co-led by new investors, Farallon Capital and Hadean Ventures. MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA) and Adjuvant Capital, as well as current investors Global Health Investment Fund, aws Gruenderfonds, Omnes Capital, Ventech and Wellington Partners Life Sciences, also participated.
The proceeds from this round will be used to accelerate the company’s pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial program for its Chikungunya vaccine and to support further expansion into oncology indications using its proprietary measles vaccine vector platform. Concurrent with the financing, Dr. Walter Stockinger, Managing Partner at Hadean Ventures, will join Themis’ Supervisory Board.
Led by Erich Tauber, MD, CEO, Themis is developing immunomodulation therapies for infectious diseases and cancer. Through advanced understanding of immune system mechanisms, the company has built a versatile technology platform for the discovery, development and production of vaccines as well as other immune system activation approaches.
Initially focused on preventing infectious diseases, Themis has demonstrated the potential of its versatile platform through the completion of Phase 2 and near-term entry into Phase 3 clinical development for a vaccine against Chikungunya, a debilitating disease with global outbreak potential. The vaccine candidate, MV-CHIK, is Phase 3-ready with the pivotal global Phase 3 trial initiation expected in the next few months.
The company’s other vaccine programs include those for Zika and Lassa Fever, which are currently being studied in Phase 1 clinical trials, and for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Norovirus and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which are in pre-clinical studies.
Themis recently announced a collaboration with MSD to develop undisclosed vaccine candidates. In 2018, the company initiated its immuno-oncology portfolio with the first therapeutic candidate to enter clinical studies this year.
FinSMEs
18/09/2019