Stratosvir secures support from Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to advance innovative anticancer therapeutics
Stratosvir, a pioneering UK-based biotechnology firm dedicated to developing innovative anticancer therapeutics, is thrilled to announce support from Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult), including investment from the Cross Catapult Investment Pilot, which will help it accelerate the preclinical development of its technologies and products in cancer disease models.
Stratosvir's focus is on revolutionising cancer treatment, particularly in areas where current immunotherapies have limited success. Therapeutic viruses have huge potential to treat cancer, yet their clinical use is restricted as these often need to be injected directly into the tumour. Stratosvir’s platform, which is currently in preclinical development, is designed to overcome this barrier and deliver medicines intravenously, with the therapy travelling in the body to the tumour, where it stimulates the immune system to attack the cancer. Its advanced technology aims to deliver a multimodal approach against tumours, which includes:
- Directly killing cancer cells
- Unlocking and stimulating the immune system within the tumour microenvironment
- Providing long-term immune memory against tumour antigens
The support from CGT Catapult aims to help Stratosvir progress its therapies and secure further funding to accelerate its growth. As part of this support, the CGT Catapult is making an investment into the company, via the Cross-Catapult Investment Pilot. With support from Innovate UK, this pilot allows organisations in the Catapult Network to make seed investments into promising organisations.
Through investments made during this pilot, which has now ended, CGT Catapult aims to support high potential companies to scale in the UK and accelerate the path for potentially life-changing treatments to reach patients.
Alongside support from existing investors including Prostate Cancer Research and o2h Ventures, this investment marks a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to develop effective therapies for prostate and other cancers. It underscores Stratosvir’s commitment to providing safe, effective, and cost-efficient treatments and its mission to provide impactful treatments with minimal side effects for patients who do not currently respond to immunotherapy.
Christopher Ullman, CEO of Stratosvir, said:
We are excited to welcome Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult as a strategic partner in our journey. Their investment will enhance our ability to translate our innovative research into viable therapies that can make a real difference in the lives of cancer patients.
Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive of CGT Catapult, said:
Stratosvir is a growing UK biotech, with promising technology that could provide much-needed new treatments for a range of cancers. Through our support and investment into this expert team, we aim to help Stratosvir build into a scalable business that delivers health benefits for patients, as well as provide growth within the UK life sciences sector.
