BT Pharma becomes Genticel and secures Euro 13m in funding
Genticel will focus its efforts on the prevention of cervical cancer in HPV infected women.
BT Pharma, a French biopharmaceutical company developing innovative immunotherapies to prevent cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), has received Euro 13m in additional funding and has changed its name to Genticel.
AGF Private Equity led the financing round, which brought in three new investors, IRDI (Institut Regional de Developpement Industriel), Amundi Private Equity Funds and InnoBio fund, managed by CDC Entreprises, within FSI France Investment programme.
To leverage its broadly applicable therapeutic vaccine platform, Adenylate Cyclase (CyaA), Genticel will focus its efforts on the prevention of cervical cancer in HPV infected women. A phase I clinical trial of Genticel's lead therapeutic HPV vaccine, ProCervix, is scheduled for the second quarter of 2010. This bivalent product, which carries antigens originating from both HPV16 and HPV18, should offer a curative vaccine to complement current prophylactic products.
"The new funding will not only enable us to conduct our 'first-in-man' clinical trial with the CyaA technology but also allow the company to prepare for phase II in the same indication and prepare pipeline products up to the development stage," said Dr Benedikt Timmerman, ceo at Genticel.
Thierry Hercend, president of Genticel's supervisory board, added: "We are satisfied with the way BT Pharma, initially a research entity, is making the transition to a clinical development company. Its antigen delivery technology has a broad medical potential which should materialise into a clinical success in the selected HPV area."