Karolinska Institute’s oncology spinout Aprea Therapeutics has received a $5.7m series C extension adding to an initial $56.8m close in November 2018 that featured Karolinska Development.
Aprea Therapeutics, a Sweden-based oncological drug developer spun out of Karolinska Institute, has increased its series C round to €55m ($62.8m) after securing a $5.7m contribution from unspecified funds managed by Janus Henderson Investors.
The extension follows an initial $56.8m close announced in November 2018 that was led by Redmile Group with participation from the university’s investment arm, Karolinska Development.
Rock Springs Capital, 5AM Ventures, Versant Ventures, Health Cap and Sectoral Asset Management also backed the initial series C tranche.
Founded in 2003, Aprea Therapeutics is working on small molecule drugs for cancer that restore the effectiveness of faulty p53 tumour suppressor proteins believed to be crucial in preventing the disease’s progression.
The spinout’s lead drug candidate, APR-246, is indicated for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of stem cell malignancies that can lead to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), as well as for AML itself and…
