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LifeArc Seed Fund makes £1.5million investment in Caldan Therapeutics to develop novel treatments for metabolic diseases
29 August 2019 - LifeArc, a UK-based medical research charity, announced today it is investing £1.5million into Caldan Therapeutics Limited, a company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic diseases based on original work. Focusing on activators of free fatty acid receptors (GPR120) implicated in the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the investment is part of a £2million fund raise to support the optimisation of a lead candidate to progress to later pre-clinical development. LifeArc is joined in this investment by founding investor Epidarex Capital.
Dr David Holbrook, LifeArc’s Head of Seed Fund, said: “As specialists in translating early-stage research in drug discovery and diagnostics into patient benefit, LifeArc, through its Seed Fund, is delighted to be investing in Caldan to progress potentially groundbreaking new treatments in the NASH space for which there is significant patient need. As NASH progresses it can result in excessive scarring in the liver (fibrosis), a natural response to injury, which can lead to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.”
NASH, a progressive form of non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is now considered to be one of the major causes of cirrhosis of the liver; its prevalence among UK adults is estimated as high as 1 in 8 people. This could present a huge burden on the NHS in the future, with an increasing number of people requiring care for cirrhosis or needing a liver transplant.
Mark Payton, CEO of Caldan Therapeutics Limited, commented: “We are delighted to welcome LifeArc as a new investor in Caldan. This will allow us to translate the work on free fatty acid receptors initiated in the laboratories of the Company’s founders Prof Graeme Milligan of Glasgow University and Prof Trond Ulven, of University of Southern Denmark rapidly towards the clinic. We believe GPR120 agonism holds immense promise for the treatment of NASH due to its potential to impact multiple stages in the development of this important disease.”
Elizabeth Roper, Partner, Epidarex Capital, concluded: "Attracting LifeArc as new investors into Caldan is a reflection of the great progress that Caldan has made and the company’s potential to become the leading company developing GPR120 inhibitors for metabolic disease."
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Media contacts
LifeArc
Surinder Maan
Communications Manager
Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 391 2754
Epidarex Capital
Rachel Haynes
Operations Manager
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 2433700
Caldan Therapeutics
PLMR (Press Team)
Anokhi Popat
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)7415 701567
Notes to editors
About LifeArc
LifeArc is a self-funded medical research charity. Our mission is to advance translation of early science into health care treatments or diagnostics that can be taken through to full development and made available to patients. We have been doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance and four licensed medicines.
Our success allows us to explore new approaches to stimulate and fund translation. We have our own drug discovery and diagnostics development facilities, supported by experts in technology transfer and intellectual property who also provide services to other organisations. Our model is built on collaboration, and we partner with a broad range of groups including medical research charities, research organisations, industry and academic scientists. We are motivated by patient need and scientific opportunity.
Two funds help us to invest in external projects for the benefit of patients: our Philanthropic Fund provides grants to support medical research projects focused on the translation of rare diseases research and our Seed Fund is aimed at start-up companies focussed on developing new therapeutics and biological modalities.
Find out more about our work on www.lifearc.org or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter
About Epidarex Capital
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture fund that invests in early-stage, high growth life science and health technology companies in under ventured markets. Epidarex focuses on providing risk capital to young companies, including spinouts from leading research institutions in up and coming life science hubs. The fund’s international management team has a track record of successfully partnering with top scientists and entrepreneurs to develop highly innovative products for the global healthcare market. For more information,
please see www.epidarex.com
About Caldan Therapeutics
Caldan Therapeutics is a spin-out company from the Universities of Glasgow and Southern Denmark and is based on the long-term collaborative research of Professors Graeme Milligan and Trond Ulven. The company specialises in developing novel therapeutics targeting free fatty acid receptors for the treatment of metabolic disease, including Type 2 Diabetes and NASH. For further information, please visit www.caldantherapeutics.com
Dr David Holbrook, LifeArc’s Head of Seed Fund, said: “As specialists in translating early-stage research in drug discovery and diagnostics into patient benefit, LifeArc, through its Seed Fund, is delighted to be investing in Caldan to progress potentially groundbreaking new treatments in the NASH space for which there is significant patient need. As NASH progresses it can result in excessive scarring in the liver (fibrosis), a natural response to injury, which can lead to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.”
NASH, a progressive form of non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is now considered to be one of the major causes of cirrhosis of the liver; its prevalence among UK adults is estimated as high as 1 in 8 people. This could present a huge burden on the NHS in the future, with an increasing number of people requiring care for cirrhosis or needing a liver transplant.
Mark Payton, CEO of Caldan Therapeutics Limited, commented: “We are delighted to welcome LifeArc as a new investor in Caldan. This will allow us to translate the work on free fatty acid receptors initiated in the laboratories of the Company’s founders Prof Graeme Milligan of Glasgow University and Prof Trond Ulven, of University of Southern Denmark rapidly towards the clinic. We believe GPR120 agonism holds immense promise for the treatment of NASH due to its potential to impact multiple stages in the development of this important disease.”
Elizabeth Roper, Partner, Epidarex Capital, concluded: "Attracting LifeArc as new investors into Caldan is a reflection of the great progress that Caldan has made and the company’s potential to become the leading company developing GPR120 inhibitors for metabolic disease."
– Ends –
Media contacts
LifeArc
Surinder Maan
Communications Manager
Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 391 2754
Epidarex Capital
Rachel Haynes
Operations Manager
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 2433700
Caldan Therapeutics
PLMR (Press Team)
Anokhi Popat
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)7415 701567
Notes to editors
About LifeArc
LifeArc is a self-funded medical research charity. Our mission is to advance translation of early science into health care treatments or diagnostics that can be taken through to full development and made available to patients. We have been doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance and four licensed medicines.
Our success allows us to explore new approaches to stimulate and fund translation. We have our own drug discovery and diagnostics development facilities, supported by experts in technology transfer and intellectual property who also provide services to other organisations. Our model is built on collaboration, and we partner with a broad range of groups including medical research charities, research organisations, industry and academic scientists. We are motivated by patient need and scientific opportunity.
Two funds help us to invest in external projects for the benefit of patients: our Philanthropic Fund provides grants to support medical research projects focused on the translation of rare diseases research and our Seed Fund is aimed at start-up companies focussed on developing new therapeutics and biological modalities.
Find out more about our work on www.lifearc.org or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter
About Epidarex Capital
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture fund that invests in early-stage, high growth life science and health technology companies in under ventured markets. Epidarex focuses on providing risk capital to young companies, including spinouts from leading research institutions in up and coming life science hubs. The fund’s international management team has a track record of successfully partnering with top scientists and entrepreneurs to develop highly innovative products for the global healthcare market. For more information,
please see www.epidarex.com
About Caldan Therapeutics
Caldan Therapeutics is a spin-out company from the Universities of Glasgow and Southern Denmark and is based on the long-term collaborative research of Professors Graeme Milligan and Trond Ulven. The company specialises in developing novel therapeutics targeting free fatty acid receptors for the treatment of metabolic disease, including Type 2 Diabetes and NASH. For further information, please visit www.caldantherapeutics.com