Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), US-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J; NYSE: JNJ), and Denmark’s major Novo Nordisk’s controlling shareholder, Novo Holdings, have participated in a EUR 30 million (USD 32.6 million) Series A financing round for Sweden-based Asgard Therapeutics. Asgard Therapeutics specializes in in in vivo cell reprogramming for cancer immunotherapy, a cutting-edge approach to treating cancer.
Asgard’s technology is a standardized, off-the-shelf solution that targets cancer cells and compels them to express key transcription factors, effectively reprogramming them into conventional Type 1 Dendritic Cells (cDC1s). These cDC1s then present oncology antigens to the immune system, inducing a broad, personalized immune response to the patient’s tumors, including those that are distant from the original site.
The approach has been validated against nearly 100 types of tumor cells in pre-clinical studies, demonstrating its potential efficacy. Asgard plans to file its lead program for clinical trials by 2026, while it continues to explore new reprogramming modalities and delivery platforms to further advance the field of cancer immunotherapy.- Flcube.com
