Business Wire

KORTUC

29.7.2021 14:02:14 CEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share
KORTUC Inc. Closed Financing From AXA Japan to Accelerate Pivotal Phase II Study of Novel Radiosensitizer for Cancer Radiotherapy

Today KORTUC Inc. , a Japanese clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the clinical and product development of a novel radiosensitizer improving the effectiveness of cancer radiotherapy (RT), announces the closing of an equity investment from AXA Japan.

KORTUC will use the financing to fund Research and Development activities, accelerate its Pivotal Phase II Study in the UK and pursue additional Pivotal Studies in the US. Currently ongoing Pivotal Phase II Study focuses on application of Kortuc radiosensitizer to locally advanced/recurrent breast cancer patients undergoing RT.

Comments from KORTUC
“We are pleased to share our vision with and receive such strong support from our new investor as we are accelerating our clinical research in the UK and the US to bring to cancer patients globally a product that can make a true difference in the near future – we firmly believe that Kortuc radiosensitizer can change the paradigm for use of radiotherapy across cancer types and stages” highlighted Kazu Matsuda, Chief Executive Officer of KORTUC.

Comments from AXA Japan
“As a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, our purpose is to act for human progress by protecting what matters. As new cancer patient growth accelerates, this investment illustrates our purpose to support innovative technologies that can serve humanity.” Jean-Baptiste Tricot, Director, Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of AXA Japan commented.
Boris Moutier, Corporate Officer of AXA Japan, Japan and Asia Chief Investment Officer, also highlights that “With this brand new radiosensitizer, KORTUC has great potential to become a ground-breaking player in cancer treatment field, and we are glad to engage in this greatly promising journey. Aligned with AXA Group’s vision, AXA Japan pursues investments into startups that may create innovations and produce tangible results.”

About KORTUC Inc.
KORTUC Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. KORTUC’s Pivotal Phase II Study is currently ongoing in the UK with Royal Marsden Hospital and a number of cancer centers*1 across the UK focusing on locally advanced, recurrent breast cancer. Phase I study was completed in 2019 successfully demonstrating the product’s safety and efficacy, while related publication was accepted by Red Journal (ASTRO) in June 2020.

About AXA Japan
AXA Japan is the Japanese arm of the AXA Group established in 1994. AXA Japan serves 2.64 million customers with 4.87 million policies by utilizing global expertise and experience of the AXA Group. Through partnerships with 511 Chambers of Commerce and Industry, private companies, and public offices across Japan, which have been built since the establishment of Nippon Dantai Life Insurance in 1934, AXA Japan offers a wide range of products, including death protection, medical/cancer protection, annuities, and asset accumulation, as well as advice on improving corporate welfare and Life Management®. In fiscal 2020, the company supported customers by paying 234.4 billion yen in claims and in annuity and maturity payouts.

About AXA Group
The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 153,000 employees serving 105 million clients in 54 countries. In 2020, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 96.7 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 4.3 billion. AXA had Euro 1,032 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020. The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISN FR 0000120628 – Bloomberg: CS FP – Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA’s American Depository Share is also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY. The AXA Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD. It is a founding member of the UN Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

*1 Clinical sites for Pivotal Phase II study

  • The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  • University Hospitals of North Midlands, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
  • Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
  • The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
  • Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust, Truro, UK

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

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

First Randomized Controlled Trial Shows Promise of a Ketogenic Diet in Psychotic Disorders8.7.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release

Trial reports correlations between ketone levels and cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar-1 disorders Published today in Schizophrenia Bulletin, a first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial (RCT) from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), adds to growing literature on the potential benefit of a ketogenic diet for treating psychotic disorders. The study, which enrolled participants with schizophrenia-spectrum or bipolar-1 disorders, demonstrated rapid metabolic improvements with a ketogenic diet compared to diet-as-usual during an initial one-month RCT open-label phase. Furthermore, those who continued with the optional four-month single-arm ketogenic diet extension saw meaningful gains across metabolic, psychiatric, and cognitive measures. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.co

Teamily AI Publicly Launches Human+AI Social Platform to Make Building and Growing a Company Easy for Every Team8.7.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release

Teamily AI (https://Teamily.ai), together with its Agentic AI Infra platform TensorOpera AI (https://TensorOpera.ai), today announced the public launch of its Human+AI social platform, a product stack that has already served more than 5 million users around the world. Starting today in Palo Alto and rolling out simultaneously across dozens of countries, this first public launch opens the full stack to everyone with a single mission: to make building and growing a company easy for every person and every team. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260708584390/en/ "This is the moment we open our doors to the world," said co-founders Dr. Aiden Chaoyang He and Professor Salman Avestimehr. "We want every person and every team to be able to move from idea to product, from product to market, and from market to growth and investment, with an AI-native team by their side." At its core, Teamily AI enables humans and AI agents

Leo Cancer Care Raises $65M Series D to Scale Its Integrated Upright Cancer Care Platform8.7.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release

Oversubscribed round follows the world-first compact upright proton treatment at Stanford Medicine — funding a single upright platform that will span imaging and treatment across multiple radiation modalities. Leo Cancer Care, the medical technology company working to reinvent how patients are imaged and treated by designing systems around the body’s natural upright position, today announced the close of an oversubscribed $65 million Series D financing. The round was led by Silicon Valley’s Yu Galaxy and welcomes new investors including Eventide Asset Management, alongside continued support from the company’s existing investors. Leading cancer institutions are already adopting the upright approach. Stanford Medicine delivered the world’s first compact upright proton therapy treatment on 4 June 2026. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and McLaren Health Care are among the institutions bringing the upright platform into their programmes — adoption that spans world-leading academic centers and

LUMI AI Factory Selects IQM to Deploy Advanced Quantum Computer, Accelerating Hybrid HPC and AI Development8.7.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release

The Halocene H4 quantum computer, named LUMI-IQ, will be delivered and installed in 2027 The system will be hosted at CSC – IT Center for Science in Finland and integrated into the LUMI AI Factory The system will provide researchers, industry innovators, and developers across Europe with a unique, advanced experimental platform where quantum computing and artificial intelligence converge The LUMI AI Factory, led by CSC – IT Center for Science, has selected IQM Quantum Computers (Nasdaq: IQMX) to deliver IQM Halocene H4, an advanced quantum computer aimed at accelerating hybrid high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing capabilities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260708006791/en/ LUMI AI Factory selects IQM to deploy advanced quantum computer, accelerating hybrid HPC and AI development IQM Halocene H4 is the first and most advanced on-premises superconducting quantum computer o

Merck Announces FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Enpatoran in Lupus Patients With Active Skin Manifestations8.7.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release

Enpatoran could address a significant unmet need in lupus, specifically targeting cutaneous manifestations of the disease, which currently have no approved therapiesFDA's decision was supported by Phase 2 WILLOW study results, which demonstrated meaningful symptoms improvement, particularly among patients with active cutaneous manifestationsEnpatoran's potential to go beyond current treatment standards in lupus prompted FDA´s breakthrough designation, which is designed to expedite drug development and reviewNot intended for Canada-, UK- or US-based media Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to enpatoran for the treatment of lupus with active cutaneous manifestations. Enpatoran is an oral selective toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 inhibitor, designed to modulate pathways central to lupus-related inflammation. “For the 85% of lupus patients whose disease includes skin manif

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
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye