Immutrin, a U.K.-based biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody therapies, has raised $87 million in a Series A funding round to advance its lead candidate for a genetic, progressive heart disease.
Immutrin said Tuesday the money will be used to get the company’s lead candidate through an early-stage trial for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM, a disease where a toxic buildup of “transport” protein can result in heart failure and death. It's the cardiac manifestation a condition known as transthyretin amyloidosis, which can also affect nerves and impair certain body systems. ATTR-CM primarily affects the heart, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath, swelling in the legs and an irregular heartbeat.
Pfizer developed the first approved drug, tafamidis, to treat the cardiac form of transthyretin amyloidosis. Sold as Vyndaqel, Vyndamax and Vynmac, it became a fast-growing product that spurred development from other drugmakers who saw ATTR-CM as a lucrative market.
BridgeBio and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals have become the top competitors after Pfizer. BridgeBio’s Attruby was approved in 2024, while Alnylam’s Amvuttra gained cleared by the Food and Drug Administration last year. Both medicines quickly gained traction, with Amvuttra leading Alnylam into profitability.
Other companies are still trying to secure a spot on the market. In late 2023, the FDA approved AstraZeneca and Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ Wainua as a treatment for a form of transthyretin amyloidosis that affects the peripheral and autonomic nervous system. The medicine is currently in Phase 3 testing for ATTR-CM and has received a “Fast Track” designation to speed its review.
Intellia Therapeutics, meanwhile, is developing a candidate using gene-editing technology. However, the company faced a setback last May after a safety signal was identified in an ongoing late-stage study.
Immuntrin believes there’s a place for its lead candidate as well. The antibody drug is designed to get the immune system to help remove accumulated transthyretin deposits in body tissues, which is different than currently marketed therapies. Attruby and tafamidis are transthyretin stabilizers that work to prevent these proteins from misfolding, while Amvuttra uses RNA interference to “silence” the misfolded proteins by suppressing their production.
Immuntri said its candidate may also have the potential to treat other types of conditions caused by amyloidosis, including uncommon ones.
The Series A round was led by Frazier Life Sciences, and had participation from Qiming Venture Partners, F-Prime, SR One and Immuntri’s founding investors Cambridge Enterprise Ventures and Cambridge Innovation Capital.
As part of the funding disclosure, Immuntri announced its board of directors will be adding Michael Anstey, partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, James Topper, managing partner at Frazier Life Sciences, Nihal Sinha, partner at F-Prime and Alex Sinclair-Wilson, principal at Qiming Venture Partners.
