MARSEILLE, France, Dec. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vect-Horus, a biotechnology company that designs and develops peptide vectors that facilitate the delivery of drugs or imaging agents, notably in the brain, announced today having raised € 1.5 million, from its historical shareholders, mostly professionals in the finance industry. In total, Vect-Horus raised in 9 years more than € 11 million, of which € 5 million in grants and research tax credit, a record in France for equity financing of a biotechnology company. The public-private research collaboration developed with the CNRS, Aix -Marseille University (AMU), the CEA and INSERM has allowed Vect-Horus to develop a portfolio of four international patent families, some already issued in Europe and the United States.
Vect-Horus provides breakthrough solutions in indications with major therapeutic needs. The first collaboration agreements with major pharmaceutical companies are being signed, while the first vectorized product of the company is entering regulatory preclinical development.
« The support and sustained commitment of our shareholders and partners reflect the excellence of our scientific team that has successfully participated or coordinated one FUI and five ANR research programs, mainly focused on our proprietary technology and nervous system disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. This new fundraising, backed by a repayable advance from BPI allows VECT-HORUS to fund in 2015 two of its major projects: the regulatory preclinical development of its first vectorized neuroprotective therapeutic agent, but also to move towards an original proof of concept with a program in oncology » said Alexandre TOKAY, chairman of the company.
" Vect-Horus' technology platform helps bring new solutions for the targeting and delivery of therapeutic or imaging agents to various organs, in particular the brain. Our first product, which will enter regulatory preclinical in January 2015, has neuroprotective applications in the field of nervous system lesions associated with sudden cardiac arrest, perinatal ischemia/hypoxia, stroke and seizures, "said Michel KHRESTCHATISKY, co-founder of the company, inventor of the technology and scientific advisor at Vect-Horus.
About VECT-HORUS
VECT-HORUS is a French biotechnology company that designs and develops peptide-vectors that facilitate the delivery of drugs or imaging agents to specific cells and organs, in particular the brain. By combining pharmaceutical agents to its peptide-vectors designed to target specific receptors, VECT-HORUS promotes delivery of these agents to target cells or organs and allows them to cross natural barriers such as the blood-brain barrier that significantly impede brain delivery. The highly specific and stable vectors identified and validated by VECT- HORUS are protected by several families of patents and patent applications. The company has already demonstrated proof of concept of the technology in animal models by vectorizing an endogenous neuropeptide thus generating a new therapeutic agent with neuroprotective effects. Its first product-candidate is about to enter into regulatory preclinical trial early 2015.
Founded in 2005, VECT-HORUS is a spin-off from the CNRS-AMU NICN UMR7529 laboratory directed by Dr. Michel KHRESTCHATISKY. Its founders are Alexandre TOKAY, CEO, and Michel KHRESTCHATISKY, Scientific Council. VECT-HORUS has 17 employees (most in R&D).
For more information, visit http://www.vect-horus.com
VECT-HORUS was recently identified by the CNRS as one of the 15 success stories in 1,000 companies created from CNRS laboratories. The press release can be downloaded at the following address: http://www2.cnrs.fr/sites/communique/fichier/..._ecov2.pdf
Contacts:
Alexandre TOKAY, CEO: + 33 6 30 40 36 95 - alexandre.tokay@vect-horus.com
ATCG Press: Judith Aziza, +33 6 70 07 77 51 / Marielle Bricman, +33 6 26 94 18 53 - presse@atcg-partners.com
20141215_Vect-Horus_PR_new_equity http://hugin.info/164689/R/1880005/662959.pdf
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