Oxford spinout Infinitopes raises £12.8m to enhance antigen discovery tech

Infinitopes Precision Immunomics, an integrated cancer biotech, has completed a £12.8 million seed funding round led by Octopus Ventures.

The round was ‘heavily oversubscribed’ and drew funds from Cancer Research Horizons, Cancer Research Institute, CRIS Cancer Foundation, Kindred Capital, Manta Ray, Martlet Capital, Meltwind Advisory, Saras Capital and Wilbe Capital among others.

This latest investment will help accelerate Infinitopes’ installation of new mass spectrometer equipment, enhancing the company’s proprietary tumour antigen discovery and computational immunobiology/AI/machine learning techniques as it looks to treat five more cancers.

Since spinning out from Oxford University in 2021, Infinitopes has sought to overcome three key challenges in the field of cancer vaccines.

Firstly, using its antigen discovery technologies, the firm identifies and ranks tumour signatures, enabling the accurate selection of novel, synergistic tumour targets.

Secondly, it’s working to develop safe and effective proprietary vector delivery systems, capable of stimulating durable T-cell responses necessary to prevent the recurrence of life-threatening cancer metastases.

Finally, Infinitopes leverages its deep knowledge of immunology and works with key opinion leaders in order to optimally schedule therapies to ensure the best protection for patients.

The company’s lead asset, a novel cancer vaccine called ITOP1, is scheduled to commence a phase I/IIa study in first line cancer patients in the third quarter of 2024.

This rapid transition into the clinic was made possible by an Innovative Licensing & Access Pathway (ILAP) innovation passport from the UK’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in August 2022.

Jonathan Kwok, co-founder and CEO of Infinitopes, said: “Since September 2021, Infinitopes has established world leading capabilities to design, develop, and clinically evaluate an exciting new class of precision targeted, durable cancer vaccines.

“Our therapies are emerging at a time when blockbuster checkpoint inhibitors are hitting their peak, capable of preventing tumour recurrence in 30 to 40 per cent of patients at best.

“Our preclinical results suggest that our vaccines may significantly outperform them, to transform care for future cancer patients.

“We’re excited to announce this fundraise, which enables us to pursue our uniquely integrated strategy of selecting the right targets, with the right vectors, for the right patients, at the right time in their treatment journey.

“We continue to seek academic and big pharma collaborators, smart technical investors, and passionate new hires and interns to join our mission to cure cancer.”

Phil Masterson, associate director at Cancer Research Horizons, added: “Infinitopes is at the forefront of the cancer vaccine revolution emerging from Covid-era technology advances.

“Cancer Research Horizons’ investment strategy focuses on maximising patient impact.

“Infinitopes is empowering the immune system to fight the cancer metastases that cause 70 to 90 per cent of cancer deaths through better targeting, better delivery mechanisms and better clinical trials.

“We’re delighted to support the building of a leading company based on innovative Cancer Research UK-funded foundational science.”

Infinitopes presented at the 8th Immuno Oncology Europe in London last week and is soon set to attend both the 7th European Neoantigen Summit in Amsterdam and BioEquity in San Sebastián.