French biotech startup Tridek-One closes €16m to develop first-in-class immune checkpoint agonists

French biotech startup Tridek-One closes €16m to develop first-in-class immune checkpoint agonists

Published: 16-09-2022 12:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau | hits: 3174 | Tags:

Tridek-One, a Paris-based biotech startup specialized in the research and development of CD31 agonists to restore the immune balance, announced it has closed a €16 million financing round led by the Swiss VC Pureos Bioventures with the participation of new investors Bpifrance, through its InnoBio2 fund, and Bioqube Ventures (Belgium), as well as historical investors AdBio partners and Advent Life Sciences.

The funds will primarily be used to identify development candidates against auto-immune diseases, to conduct IND-enabling studies and to further build the organization. The company previously raised €3 million in a first round in 2019 involving AdBio partners (FR) and Advent Life Sciences (UK).

Founded in 2018 by Dr. Giuseppina Caligiuri and Pr. Antonino Nicoletti, researchers at INSERM Unit 1148 (Paris, France), with the support of historical investor AdBio partners, Tridek-One is developing a novel CD31 agonist approach to modulate immune activation for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. 

Tridek-One also appointed Laurence de Schoulepnikoff as Chief Executive Officer as of July 1, 2022. Laurence is a seasoned pharma and biotech professional with broad experience in transactions and R&D operations. She has worked in VC-funded biotech startups and midsize private companies as well as large corporate organizations. Laurence joins Tridek-One from AMAL Therapeutics, a leading Swiss biotechnology company focused on therapeutic cancer vaccines, where she spent the last three years as chief business officer and chief operating officer. AMAL was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2019. Laurence will now be leading Tridek-One’s strategy and development, and strengthening its general organization. 

Laurence de Schoulepnikoff, CEO, Tridek-One: ''I am delighted and grateful to have the opportunity to lead Tridek-One as we plan to reach important preclinical milestones and build a first-class biotech organization for the treatment of auto-immune diseases.'

Following the fundraising, Klaus Breiner of Pureos Bioventures, and Benoit Barteau of Bpifrance, are joining the company’s board of directors. Erik van den Berg, CEO of AM-Pharma, joins as independent chairman of the board of directors.

Alain Huriez, General Partner, AdBio partners: ''AdBio partners was the founding investor in Tridek-One in 2018; we were further joined by Advent Life Sciences. We are delighted to welcome additional investors who believe in the breakthrough innovation developed by this cutting-edge company. This confirms our initial choice as company founder and builder.''

www.tridekone.com