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OneChain Team (PCB)
 27.06.2023

OneChain Immunotherapeutics secures €6.7M in pre-series A funding round

The funds raised will be used to bring the company’s products to patients and to complete the clinical trial they have underway. The venture capital firm Invivo Capital, the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation, the venture capital firms Nara Capital and Clave Capital, and the Josep Carreras Leukemia Foundation have all participated in the operation. This funding comes three years after the creation of the company, during which the team has managed to take its most advanced product to clinical trials.

OneChain Immunotherapeutics (OCI), a clinical stage biotech company focused on the development of CAR-T candidates for the treatment of oncological diseases and located in the Barcelona Scientific Park, announced the closing of a €6.7M pre-series A funding round. The transaction was led by the venture capital firm Invivo Capital, with the participation of the current investors, the Josep Carreras Leukemia Foundation and the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation, through its Innvierte Program. It has also been backed by two new investors, Nara Capital and Clave Capital.

OCI was created in June 2020 as a spin-off of the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC) in a clear commitment to bring the research of the group led by Dr. Pablo Menéndez, ICREA research professor and Principal Investigator of the IJC, closer to patients. Since then, the company has managed to reach the clinic in less than three years and has strengthened its pipeline with a new allogeneic platform, a program against hematological tumors and another program against solid tumors.

“Our company is a clear example of public-private collaboration for the benefit of patients,” says Jorge Alemany, CEO of the company. “It is an example of how the initiative of a non-profit foundation, with the leadership of private investors and the support of the government, can benefit patients, create jobs and advance science”.

This milestone is a significant step forward for the company, which will use the funding to consolidate its product pipeline and bring its innovative solutions to the clinical stage. “It will also allow us to finalize the CARxALL trial, where our most advanced product is being evaluated,” Alemany adds.

OCI’s approach to cancer treatment is based on CAR-T technology, which allows the genetic modification of the patient’s T-cells so that they are able to recognize and destroy cancer cells. This technology, although already established in the treatment of certain leukemias and lymphomas, is pioneering in the treatment of T-type leukemias and solid tumors and constitutes a new hope for patients with limited treatment options.

“We are convinced of the enormous potential that CAR-T therapies pose for the treatment of cancer, and we strongly support the advances that OCI is making in this field,” says Laura Rodriguez, principal at Invivo and board member of OneChain. “The company is a clear example of technology transfer in advanced therapies, which has managed to take its first product from research to clinical trial in less than three years,” she adds.

The participation of new investors in the financing round is also a reflection of this success, as they not only strengthen the company’s financial position, but also validate its progress and the potential of its therapeutic approach. “We would like to welcome the new investors, who have placed their trust in the translational capacity of the OneChain team, and who will accompany us in this new phase to consolidate a portfolio of cell therapy products with the aim of improving the lives of patients,” concludes Rodríguez.