LifeArc co-leads £6 million funding in DJS Antibodies
LifeArc announces Seed Fund investment of £2 million in DJS Antibodies, a biotech start-up company pioneering the development of novel antibody therapeutics for inflammatory disease. LifeArc is co-leading the c.£6 million funding with Sedgwick Yard, with new investment from Amgen Ventures and follow-on investment from Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI).
DJS Antibodies has developed HEPTAD, a novel platform for antibody discovery which was built to overcome the challenges associated with discovering therapeutic quality antibodies to intractable G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) targets. This funding round will support the development of two candidate antibody therapeutics including an antibody therapeutic for chronic kidney disease (CKD), a long-term condition that leads to the irreversible and progressive loss of kidney function.
The funding will also support the development of the HEPTAD platform into an industrialised monoclonal antibody (mAb) discovery process capable of identifying and screening novel therapeutic mAb candidates.
David Llewellyn, Co-founder and CEO of DJS Antibodies said: “We’re very excited to start working with LifeArc and such a strong group of investors. We share a vision of bringing first-in-class, high-impact therapeutic antibodies to the clinic, and this support will accelerate our growth towards becoming leaders in GPCR antibody discovery and development.”
David Holbrook, Head of Seed Fund, LifeArc said: “The LifeArc Seed Fund is delighted to be supporting DJS Antibodies on its work on GPCR antibody targets and helping translate the science on the next step towards the patient. DJS Antibodies is an exemplar of the type of company we are trying to support—high-quality science, great scientists, strong start-up management all addressing a significant unmet patient need.”
Notes to Editors
DJS Antibodies is an Oxford based biotechnology company founded with support from Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Oxford Sciences Innovation. DJS’ vision is to create safe, efficacious therapeutics that improve the lives of people with chronic inflammatory conditions. DJS utilises its proprietary HEPTAD technology, and its ability to discover leads against previously intractable GPCR targets, to discover and develop novel first-in-class therapeutic antibodies against key drivers of inflammatory disease. Enabled by HEPTAD, DJS is developing two lead programmes, a first-in-class antibody against a clinically validated but un-drugged target in diabetic nephropathy, and a programme that exploits novel biological insights to target myeloid cell-driven inflammation.
Sedgwick Yard is a Greater China-based venture firm dedicated to cross-border life science investments. Our goal is to identify and invest in disruptive technologies which can truly transform the lives of patients. Post investment, we support our partner companies in strategically approaching the Asian market, allowing their products to achieve a global footprint. We believe our approach will enhance value to all stakeholders and benefit patients around the world.
