ENTHERA-PHARMACEUTICALS
28.7.2020 10:02:05 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Enthera Pharmaceuticals (“Enthera”), a biotech company developing disease-modifying biologics to transform the therapeutic paradigm of specific autoimmune conditions by re-establishing stem cell capabilities in a non-traditional way, today announces the completion of a €28 million Series A financing round.
The Series A was co-led by seed investor Sofinnova Partners, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London and Milan, and incoming investor AbbVie, with further investment from the JDRF T1D Fund (the venture capital fund of JDRF) and several Italian investors including a group coordinated by Banor SIM, a group coordinated by Banca Profilo through Arepo Fiduciaria and Indaco Venture Partners SGR. The €28 million raised is the largest VC-backed Series A funding round for an Italian biotechnology company to date.
The Series A marks AbbVie’s first venture investment into an Italian company. Enthera was also the first European investment of the JDRF T1D fund, who previously invested in the Company during its €4 million seed extension funding round in 2018.
The proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to obtain clinical proof-of-concept through a first-in-human study of Ent001, Enthera’s lead candidate. Ent001 is the only drug in development with the potential to restore the pancreatic beta cell compartment in type 1 diabetes as well as the original intestine structure in inflammatory bowel disease, in order to re-establish organ function. The funds will also be used to further develop Enthera’s pipeline.
Commenting on the successful Series A financing, Giovanni Amabile, CEO of Enthera, said: “Having renowned investors Sofinnova Partners, AbbVie and JDRF T1D Fund choosing to support us on our journey is great validation of our company strategy and scientific method, and gives credit to the innovative science that is currently underway in Italy.
“We have a revolutionary approach that offers a new perspective for intractable diseases such as type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, and the funds raised will enable us to accelerate our lead program Ent001 to clinical proof-of-concept. Through this and the development of our wider pipeline, we have the opportunity to bring real hope to patients in need and to provide effective and safe treatments.”
Graziano Seghezzi, Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners, who co-seeded the company, stated:
“Enthera’s Series A financing is a fantastic milestone enabled by the leadership of Giovanni who, since his arrival in the company, has expanded its activities into novel therapeutic areas. This is also an opportunity for us to applaud BiovelocITA’s role in transforming the breakthrough science originating from Paolo Fiorina and his team into a full-fledged enterprise. Enthera is a salient example of what can be achieved when the critical components of a biotech ecosystem are brought together to accelerate innovation in Italy: World-class science, experienced management, and dedicated financial capital.”
Margarita Chavez, Managing Director of AbbVie Ventures and new addition to the Enthera Board of Directors, added: “AbbVie Ventures’ investment in Enthera’s Series A demonstrates our confidence in the team and their unique approach to treating underserved autoimmune disorders. I look forward to working with Giovanni and rest of the team as we drive the Company and its innovation forward.”
Enthera was formed in 2016 on the basis of research by scientific founders Prof. Paolo Fiorina and Dr. Francesca D’Addio. The Company is the first spin-off of the Italian biotech accelerator BiovelocITA, founded by Sofinnova Partners, Silvano Spinelli and Gabriella Camboni, which provided the initial seed fund. A seed extension was financed in 2018 by Sofinnova Partners, JDRF T1D fund and the other existing investors.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About Enthera
Enthera Srl is a biotech company developing first-in-class biologics to transform the treatment paradigm of specific autoimmune conditions by re-establishing stem cell capabilities in a non-traditional way. The Company’s primary target indications are type 1 diabetes (T1D) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Enthera's pioneering approach capitalizes on the key discovery of the IGFBP3/TMEM219 pathway, which is involved in beta cell and stem cell apoptosis in pancreas and gut, respectively.
The Company is building a pipeline of inhibitory monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and fusion proteins targeting the pathway via multiple angles. Its lead program Ent001 is the only drug in development with the potential to restore the endogenous pancreatic stem cell compartment in T1D as well as the original intestine structure in IBD, in order to re-establish organ function.
Enthera is a private company headquartered in Milan, Italy and founded in 2016 by Prof Paolo Fiorina and Dr Francesca D’Addio at BiovelocITA, an Italian biotech accelerator. The Company is backed by Sofinnova Partners and JDRF T1D fund. Enthera’s discovery engine and assets are protected by a broad portfolio of patents.
For more information, visit https://www.entherapharmaceuticals.com/
Connect with us on LinkedIn .
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specialized in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from all over Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management.
For more information, please visit: www.sofinnovapartners.com
About AbbVie Ventures
AbbVie Ventures is the corporate venture capital group of AbbVie. We are a strategic investor, investing exclusively in novel, potentially transformational science aligned with AbbVie's core R&D interests. We measure success primarily by the extent to which our investments foster innovation with potential to transform the lives of patients that AbbVie serves. AbbVie Ventures enables its portfolio companies with both funding as well as access to AbbVie's internal network of experts across all phases of drug development, from drug discovery through commercialization.
For more information, please visit www.abbvie.com/ventures
For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and LinkedIn .
About the JDRF T1D Fund
The JDRF T1D Fund is a venture philanthropy fund accelerating life-changing solutions to cure, prevent and treat type 1 diabetes (T1D) through catalytic equity investments. Through its investments in partnership with private capital, including venture capital, corporations and foundations, the T1D Fund seeks to attract the private investment necessary to advance therapeutics, devices, diagnostics and vaccines into the hands of those living with T1D. The T1D Fund invests in areas strategically aligned with JDRF, the leading global organization funding T1D research, with an exclusive focus on supporting the best commercial opportunities. The T1D Fund reinvests any realized gains into new investments to further its mission.
BiovelocITA
BiovelocITA S.r.l. is the first Italian accelerator dedicated to biotech. It was founded by Silvano Spinelli, Gabriella Camboni and Sofinnova Partners. Thanks to BiovelocITA, entrepreneurs, scientists and investors can work together to accelerate biotech projects with an international scope and reach the “proof of concept” that precedes the clinical phase. Set up to offer innovative solutions to the medical community and to patients, BiovelocITA supports the creation and development of innovative biotech companies in all therapeutic areas.
For more information, see: http://www.biovelocita.com
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200728005076/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
UAE Opens 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and Launches Pledge4Justice with First Pledge of Up to USD 5 Million26.9.2026 22:51:00 CEST | Press release
The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice – Abu Dhabi 2026 kicked off today at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Set to run until 1 October, the Congress attracts representatives from over 97 countries, including over 32 ministers of justice and interior ministers, alongside senior officials, judges, prosecutors, experts, and youth from around the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260926005703/en/ UAE Opens 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and Launches Pledge4Justice with First Pledge of Up to USD 5 Million (Photo: AETOSWire) The opening session witnessed the adoption of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, which serves as the Congress's principal political and strategic outcome document and will guide international priorities and cooperation in crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law over the next five years. The Declaration is structured around four pi
Future Health Convenes Global Health Leaders at UNGA to Advance Health System Transformation at Scale26.9.2026 17:21:00 CEST | Press release
High-level dialogue explored how predictive and preventive health systems can deliver better health outcomes worldwide. Ministers, senior government representatives, and health leaders from 15 countries shared approaches to building health systems that predict risk, prevent disease, and support earlier intervention at population scale. Participants identified population-level data, financing, and delivery capacity as essential to turning earlier insight into action. Trust, community reach, and inclusive design were recognised as critical to ensuring that earlier insight and intervention are delivered effectively and equitably Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi convened Ministers, senior government representatives, and global health leaders in New York on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81). The high-level dialogue set out practical priorities for moving health systems from reactive treatment towards prediction, prevention, an
Mirum Pharmaceuticals and Incyte Announce U.S. FDA Approval of Atebrioz™ (zilurgisertib) for Adult and Pediatric Patients with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva26.9.2026 01:00:00 CEST | Press release
-Once-daily oral ALK2 inhibitor approved to reduce the volume of total new heterotopic ossification in patients aged 12 years and older with FOP-Atebrioz expected to be available in the United States in October through Mirum Access Plus (MAP), with eligible patients paying as little as $0 per month-PROGRESS pediatric development program continues to evaluate zilurgisertib in children aged 2 to <12 years Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIRM) and Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Atebrioz™ (zilurgisertib) tablets to reduce the volume of total new heterotopic ossification (HO) in adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). The recommended dose of Atebrioz is 100 mg administered orally, once daily. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260925436454/en/ “Today marks an important milestone for pe
Digital Reef Signs Offtake Agreement with Oreasoc Agriculture to Mitigate the Environmental Footprint of Data Centre Growth Through Rainforest Protection, Appointing Xange.com as Digital MRV Partner25.9.2026 21:19:00 CEST | Press release
The offtake agreement connects Digital Reef’s 3.3 GW data centre pipeline with environmental assets from more than 30 million hectares of Amazon rainforest across South America, where Oreasoc Agriculture works directly on the ground alongside local communities to develop sustainable economies and safeguard their territories. Xange.com’s digital MRV technology monitors both the data centres and the rainforest. At Climate Week NYC, Digital Reef and Oreasoc Agriculture Inc. sign an offtake agreement connecting Digital Reef’s 3.3 GW data centre pipeline with environmental assets exceeding 30 million hectares of South American Amazon rainforest, mitigating the environmental footprint of data centre growth through rainforest protection and restoration where Oreasoc works alongside local communities to protect biodiversity, develop sustainable economies and safeguard their territories. Xange.com are appointed as digital MRV technology partner to monitor the data centres and rainforest where D
NetApp Announces Intent to Acquire PEAK:AIO to Advance Scalable AI Infrastructure Architecture25.9.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Planned acquisition strengthens NetApp's position in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market by bringing differentiated metadata innovation and parallel file architecture designed for AI NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, today announced its intent to acquire PEAK:AIO, a pioneer in next-generation metadata architecture and high-performance parallel file systems. The planned acquisition is expected to accelerate NetApp's AI infrastructure roadmap by augmenting metadata services and parallel namespace innovation designed to help AI clouds scale shared storage alongside growing GPU clusters. As AI becomes embedded in every enterprise workload, organizations are confronting a new challenge: traditional storage architectures were not designed for the unprecedented scale, concurrency, and performance requirements of AI factories, AI clouds, and next-generation data-intensive applications. NetApp is building an architecture that disaggregates metadata fr
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom