Kivu Raises $92M for Improved ADC Cancer Drugs

It is critical to ensure that a drug’s benefits outweigh its side effects, as adverse reactions often cause patients to cease treatment, giving cancer an opportunity to progress. This is the challenge Kivu Bioscience aims to address, as articulated by Mohit Trikha, the president and COO of the company. The San Francisco-based startup focuses on developing therapies with improved tolerability and efficacy. Kivu emerged from stealth mode recently, announcing a significant $92 million in financing and detailing its plans to bring its lead program into clinical trials by 2025.

Kivu specializes in creating antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), which are powerful cancer treatments consisting of an antibody linked to a toxic drug payload. Despite their potential, ADCs have notable limitations, primarily due to the instability of the drug payload, which can detach from the antibody and cause severe side effects, especially in the lungs and eyes. To address this, Kivu has adopted technology from Synaffix, a company based in Amsterdam. This technology aims to enhance the stability of ADCs, thus reducing off-target toxicity.

Mohit Trikha, with 25 years of experience in cancer research, explained that the location where the drug payload attaches to the antibody is crucial. Synaffix’s technology allows for precise linking, which enhances the overall stability of the molecule. This strategy is intended to expand the therapeutic window — the dosage range that balances safety and efficacy. Kivu aims to deliver a high dose of the drug payload specifically within the tumor microenvironment, maximizing its effectiveness against the tumor while minimizing side effects elsewhere in the body, ensuring patients can maintain their treatment regimen without interruption.

Trikha emphasized the importance of delivering the correct treatment to the right patient at the right time and maintaining a regimen that patients can adhere to. Kivu’s goal is to develop drugs that remain effective as single agents, thus avoiding the need for combination treatments that often require dosage reduction due to toxic effects. Another significant goal is to overcome drug resistance. Cancer cells can expel drugs using membrane proteins, rendering treatments ineffective. Kivu’s ADCs are designed so that their drug payloads are not expelled by these proteins, increasing their ability to kill cancer cells.

Kivu’s development pipeline includes three programs, the most advanced of which is KIVU-107. This program is currently in preclinical research, laying the foundation for an investigational new drug (IND) application. A Phase 1 study for KIVU-107 is anticipated to commence next year. While Trikha did not specify the exact types of cancers this ADC aims to treat, he mentioned that they are solid tumors with significant unmet needs. The drugs are designed to target and inhibit topoisomerases, enzymes vital for cancer cell growth. Existing topoisomerase inhibitor ADCs include Trodelvy, from Gilead Sciences, and Enhertu, from AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo.

Kivu draws its name from Lake Kivu, located between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The lake is known for its volcanic activity, which has led to a buildup of dissolved gases that could cause a deadly explosion if disturbed. Trikha likened the startup’s journey to the volatile nature of Lake Kivu, aiming to navigate the dangerous phase of drug development known as "the valley of death."

The Series A financing round for Kivu was led by Novo Holdings, with participation from Gimv, Red Tree, HealthCap, BioGeneration Ventures, M Ventures, and Innovatiefonds Brabant. This substantial investment underscores the promise and potential impact of Kivu Bioscience’s innovative approach to cancer treatment.