PROKARIUM
27.10.2020 08:02:10 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Prokarium, a privately-held biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies and vaccines based on its engineered microbial platform, today announced the closing of a Series B investment round of $21M led by Korea Investment Partners (KIP). In addition to KIP, the UK government’s Future Fund (FF), Flerie Invest and Riyadh Valley Company (RVC) also participated in the financing round.
“We are very pleased with this strong financial support and with the global networks our investors bring,” said Ted Fjallman, PhD, CEO of Prokarium. “The funds will support the development efforts of our microbial immunotherapy for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, which we plan to advance to the clinic by 2022, as well as the expansion of our pipeline across multiple solid tumours. This financing, together with our recently announced partnership with the Wellcome Trust for funding our clinical studies of Entervax, positions Prokarium well to realize the potential of our microbial immunotherapy platform.”
“KIP is delighted to lead this financing of Prokarium and to continue to invest in their team and platform” said Sangwoo Lee, Managing Director, KIP. “Prokarium’s approach of developing microbial immunotherapy that stimulates innate immunity and modulates the tumour microenvironment is very exciting and has the potential to transform cancer treatment across the world.”
In conjunction with the financing, Hyam Levitsky, MD, will join Prokarium’s Board of Directors. Hy brings over 30 years of internal medicine, oncology and immunology research experience and currently serves as the President of Research and Development at Century Therapeutics. Prior to Century, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Juno Therapeutics and Head of Cancer Immunology Experimental Medicine at Roche.
“I am excited to join Prokarium’s Board and to provide my scientific expertise to develop novel microbial immunotherapies” said Hyam Levitsky. “Prokarium’s bacterial strains have the potential to be potent activators of multiple innate immune pathways, harnessing intrinsic microbial properties combined with modulatory effects from cutting-edge engineering to initiate and drive a patient’s anti-tumor responses. This harbours the potential to perform both as a monotherapy or in combination with other immunotherapies.”
Prokarium also strengthens its executive team with the promotion of Kristen Albright, PharmD, to Chief Operating Officer, Livija Deban, PhD, to Vice President of Research, and the appointment of Peter McGowan, FCCA, as Chief Financial Officer.
"I am very pleased to announce these well-deserved appointments on Prokarium's executive team," said Steve Chatfield, PhD, Chairman of Prokarium. "It is critical that we have the optimal organizational structure in place to drive the continued advancement of our pipeline and the success of our company."
- Ends -
About Prokarium
Prokarium is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing microbial cancer immunotherapies. Using the company’s leading-edge technology platform, Prokarium’s mission is to use its expertise in engineering biology and immunology to improve the lives of patients with solid tumours, with its lead oncology program expected to enter the clinic in 2022. The Company is also leveraging its platform, in conjunction with the Wellcome Trust, for the phase 1 and phase 2 clinical evaluation of a combination vaccine against typhoid and paratyphoid. Prokarium is headquartered in London, UK. For more information please visit www.prokarium.com .
About Korea Investment Partners
Korea Investment Partners (KIP) is South Korea’s leading venture capital and private equity firm with over 30 years of experience investing in bold and innovative entrepreneurs who want to change the world. KIP manages over 20 venture and private equity funds with over $2.6 billion AUM. The company operates globally from its Seoul headquarters office with other locations in Shanghai, Beijing, and Sunnyvale. Notable successful life science exits include Elastagen to Allergan, Auris Health to Johnson and Johnson, as well as multiple IPOs such as ABL Bio [Kosdaq: A298380], Helixmith [Kosdaq: 084990], Qurient [Kosdaq: 115180], i-Sense [Kosdaq: 099190], HLB [Kosdaq: 028300], and PCL [Kosdaq: 241820].
About Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC)
Around 550,000 cases of bladder cancer occur every year with approximately 70% of tumours diagnosed as non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. NMIBC remains a very challenging cancer to treat with high rates of recurrence and progression associated with approved therapies. The first-line treatment is Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated tuberculosis (TB) vaccine that is instilled directly into the bladder requiring up to 27 instillations. Intravesical therapies remain the most promising route of administration; however, very little innovation has been invested to replace and improve upon BCG since its approval by the FDA in 1990. Currently there remains a severe global shortage of BCG, which leaves limited treatment options for newly diagnosed NMIBC patients.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201027005092/en/
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
IQM Quantum Computers Acquires Assets of Quantistry GmbH to Bridge the Gap Between Quantum Algorithms and Solutions for Industrial Enterprises6.7.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
This is a strategic asset acquisition comprising proprietary software and intellectual property of Quantistry GmbH, a pioneer in cloud-native, AI-powered chemical and materials simulation By integrating Quantistry’s advanced simulation platform with IQM’s leading quantum computing hardware, IQM will deliver an end-to-end quantum-classical applications development platform and algorithm libraries powered by a user-friendly native-AI computing environment The transaction secures a critical enterprise software layer that accelerates IQM’s application roadmap, enabling industrial enterprises to develop quantum application proof-of-concepts and scale them over time, backed by a reliable, long-term quantum roadmap It also enhances IQM’s ability to deepen domain expertise across specific industry verticals Quantistry’s core quantum chemistry and machine learning engineering team will join IQM, strengthening the company’s ability to deepen relationships with tier-one industrial enterprises acr
Agenus Reports Landmark BOT+BAL Data Showing 33% Three-Year Overall Survival in Refractory MSS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Without Active Liver Metastases at ESMO GI 20266.7.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Press release
Fully enrolled 123-patient Phase 1b cohort demonstrated 21.2-month median overall survival, 33% three-year overall survival, and a survival curve plateau beyond two yearsData presented in a heavily pretreated population where durable long-term survival is rarely reported17% of patients alive and off all systemic anticancer therapy at last follow-upExtended safety follow-up showed no new safety signals, no treatment-related deaths, and 98% resolution of immune-mediated diarrhea/colitis Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, today announced three-year landmark Phase 1b data from the fully enrolled C-800-01 cohort evaluating botensilimab (BOT), an Fc-enhanced multifunctional anti–CTLA-4 antibody, plus balstilimab (BAL), an anti–PD-1 antibody, in patients with refractory microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) without active liver metastases. The data were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers (E
LTM Launches BlueVerse™ RightLogic to Address Cyber Risk in AI Era6.7.2026 11:12:00 CEST | Press release
New assessment and risk assurance framework helps enterprises gain unified visibility, prioritise remediation and scale AI securely LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, has launched BlueVerse™ RightLogic, a cybersecurity assessment and risk assurance framework designed to help enterprises identify, assess and remediate cyber exposure as they accelerate AI adoption. AI is now capable of autonomously identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities, while exposure across infrastructure, applications and supply chains continue to expand. This has elevated cyber risk from a technology concern to a board-level priority, with enterprises struggling to maintain visibility and respond at the speed of emerging threats. BlueVerse RightLogic addresses this gap by providing a unified, business-aligned view of enterprise exposure and enabling a shift from fragmented, point-in-time assessments to continuous, evidence-led risk management. The framework combines an end-to
Media Release: Financial Worries Rise and Match Health Concerns as Cost-of-Living Pressures Mount in 20266.7.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
Globally, people are united in their top personal worries: Financial and health issues rank at the top in 2026, averaging 13 percentage points ahead of other concerns.Financial pressure is prominent across Europe, rising in France, Germany, and U.K., and emerging as a top concern in newly measured markets, Spain and Switzerland.Allianz published these results in “The Allianz 3am Report 2026,” which surveyed 10,000 people across 10 countries worldwide about what keeps them awake at night.Addressing financial concerns requires accessible, targeted financial and risk education. To support this, Allianz has launched the “Allianz School For Life” learning platform. Households around the world are feeling the strain of the rising cost of living, with financial pressure increasingly shaping everyday choices and long-term confidence. Finances and health are now tied as the top global worries, at 48% each, followed by concerns about the future at 35%, according to consumer surveys in 10 countri
HAZAMA ANDO Becomes an Official Partner in Helical Fusion’s Commercial Fusion Initiative and Signs MoU Toward Construction of the Fusion Pilot Plant6.7.2026 08:40:00 CEST | Press release
A long-established Japanese general contractor will contribute construction expertise to advance Fusion Pilot Plant development toward commercially viable fusion power. Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. (“Helical Fusion”), a Japan-based fusion energy startup developing fusion power plants, and HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION (“HAZAMA ANDO”), a long-established Japanese general contractor, today announced that HAZAMA ANDO has become an Official Partner in the Helix Program, Helical Fusion’s commercial fusion initiative. The two companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) to collaborate toward the construction of Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion’s Fusion Pilot Plant targeted for the 2030s. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706176052/en/ (L-R) Kazuhiko Kuniya (Representative Director and President, HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION) and Takaya Taguchi (Co-Founder and CEO, Helical Fusion Co., Ltd.) at a press conference in
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