CatalYm Secures $150M for Phase 2b Development of Visugromab

CatalYm has recently secured $150 million in an oversubscribed Series D financing round. This funding round was spearheaded by new investors Canaan Partners and Bioqube Ventures, with additional contributions from Forbion's Growth Opportunities Fund, Omega Funds, and Gilde Healthcare. Existing investors such as Jeito Capital, Brandon Capital Partners, Novartis Venture Fund, and Vesalius Biocapital III also participated. The funds raised will be used to advance the broad Phase 2b development of visugromab, CatalYm's lead antibody, into randomized Phase 2b studies in select checkpoint naïve frontline and second-line treatment settings.

Visugromab, a humanized monoclonal antibody, is designed to target and neutralize Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15), a tumor-produced regulator that aids cancer cells in evading immune responses. CatalYm presented promising follow-up results during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in 2024. These results from the ongoing "GDFATHER" Phase 1/2a trial revealed that visugromab, in combination with the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab, showed significant anti-tumor activity. Notably, complete responses were observed in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), urothelial cancer (UC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had relapsed or were refractory to prior anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatments.

Phil L’Huillier, CEO of CatalYm, emphasized the importance of this substantial funding, acknowledging the progress and potential of visugromab in inducing deep and durable cancer remission. He highlighted the company's commitment to breaking immunosuppressive barriers to improve therapeutic outcomes, expressing optimism about the collaboration with the high-profile new and existing international investors.

Concurrent with the financing round, several key figures will join CatalYm's Board of Directors. These include Colleen Cuffaro, Partner at Canaan, Jon Edwards, Managing Partner at Bioqube Ventures, and Otello Stampacchia, Managing Director and Founder at Omega Funds. Additionally, Stefan Luzi, Partner at Gilde Healthcare, will join as a Board Observer.

Colleen Cuffaro of Canaan Partners praised the recent data presented at ASCO, noting visugromab's differentiated therapeutic profile and CatalYm's effective execution on its clinical plan. As CatalYm advances into expanded Phase 2b development, she expressed excitement about providing strategic guidance to help the company transform treatment regimens for difficult-to-treat solid tumors.

Jon Edwards from Bioqube Ventures expressed enthusiasm for CatalYm's pioneering work in GDF-15 biology, which holds the potential to enhance the durability and depth of responses in immuno-oncology treatments. He emphasized the importance of supporting CatalYm's team and syndicate in conducting robust clinical studies across various promising indications.

Founded in 2016 with support from Forbion Ventures Fund III and BGV, CatalYm focuses on developing new cancer treatments to counteract resistance to checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy, and other targeted therapies. The company's approach involves neutralizing GDF-15, a key immunosuppressant utilized by tumor cells to evade immune system attacks. CatalYm's broad Phase 2b development plan targets high-need solid tumor indications such as NSCLC, UC, HCC, and bladder cancer, where resistance to treatment remains a significant challenge. The company is preparing to launch further randomized, controlled studies in multiple major cancer indications, incorporating checkpoint inhibitors and standard-of-care treatments in both first- and second-line settings, with plans to commence in the first half of 2025.

CatalYm's mission is to develop GDF-15 as a safe and effective immune therapy for solid tumors. The company's lead antibody, visugromab, has shown durable anti-tumor efficacy and long-lasting objective responses in relapsed and refractory metastatic solid tumor patients when used in combination with anti-PD-1 treatment. CatalYm is now progressing to Phase 2b studies to confirm visugromab as a novel class of cancer immunotherapy across a range of anti-cancer regimens.