HepaRegeniX bags €15M to advance liver regeneration therapy

2024-07-10

HepaRegeniX said Wednesday it has successfully closed a €15 million ($16.2 million) series C round to advance a new therapy designed to jumpstart the liver's regenerative powers. The financing was led by Vesalius Biocapital IV with participation from existing investors Novo Holdings, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, and High-Tech Gründerfonds.

HRX-215 is a small molecule inhibitor of MKK4, designed to unlock the regenerative capacity of hepatocytes and boost liver regeneration in patients. According to HepaRegeniX, the therapy holds promise for people with liver metastases, primary liver tumours, and those undergoing liver transplantation.

"With the new funds, HepaRegeniX will advance with its clinical plans for a Phase Ib study in the US and an international Phase IIa study to enhance liver recovery and prevent liver failure," commented Elias Papatheodorou, who transitions from chair of the board to CEO.

The company also announced the appointment of Linda Greenbaum as chief medical officer. "MKK4 is a key regulator of liver regeneration, and MKK4 inhibition has been shown to induce liver regeneration after a partial hepatectomy," she said. "With this mode of action, HRX-215 has an immense potential to improve outcomes for patients who are currently not able to undergo potentially curative surgical resections due to liver tumours."

The funding comes on the heels of promising preclinical data and a Phase I trial. In a paper published in the journal Cell earlier this year, researchers said "we are convinced that the observed antisteatotic and antifibrotic activity provides a very good basis for further testing of HRX215 in chronic liver disease."

"We envision that HRX215 harbours the potential to push the boundaries of oncological liver surgery," they said, adding "perioperative HRX215 treatment holds the promise to safely prevent PHLF [post-hepatectomy liver failure] after liver resections and will make more extensive resections possible, thus allowing a potential curative perspective for more patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases and also for patients suffering from primary liver carcinomas."

HepaRegeniX raised a €9 million series A and €11 million series B in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

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