Houston-based biotechnology firm Stellanova Therapeutics raised $15.5 million to advance development of its cancer therapies.
The Series A round was led by Houston-based Sporos Bioventures LLC, Stellanova announced June 3.
Stellanova is developing therapies targeting the tumor microenvironment in order to treat cancers that are resistant to current therapies, the company said. Stellanova's lead clinical candidate is an antibody that targets DKK3, a factor promoting therapeutic resistance and immune suppression in cancer cells. By blocking DKK3 with Stellanova's antibody, tumor progression is reduced and cancer cells become responsive to immunotherapies.
"For patients diagnosed with advanced cancers, aggressive chemotherapies and immune therapies often provide only marginal improvement due to the presence of resistance factors generated by fibroblasts present within the tumor microenvironment," said Dr. Rosa Hwang, co-founder of Stellanova. "Our lead antibody targets DKK3, a factor secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts, and shows robust anti-tumor activity, alone or together with immune therapy, in highly refractory preclinical models of pancreas and triple negative breast cancer."
Stellanova also announced the appointment of Emmanuelle Schuler as the emerging biotech firm's founding CEO. Schuler previously served as the head of Johnson & Johnson's JLABS biotech incubator at the Texas Medical Center. She also leads Houston-based consulting firm Corallis Counsulting.
Stellanova is a resident company within JLABS, located at 2450 Holcombe Blvd. at the TMC Innovation Institute.
Stellanova investor Sporos Bioventures launched earlier this year with $38.1 million in financing to advance breakthrough therapies targeting cancer and immune diseases. In addition to Stellanova, the Sporos portfolio includes Houston-based Asylia Therapeutics, Houston-based Tvardi Therapeutics and Massachusetts-based Nirogy Therapeutics. The Sporos Bioventures founding team includes Dr. Ronald DePinho, professor of cancer biology and past president of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, who chairs Sporos' Strategic Advisory Council.
Asylia Therapeutics, which is developing assets for first-in-human clinical trials for oncology, announced raising a $14.5 million Series A round in late May.
