Enyu Pharma Co., Ltd., which aims to develop medicines for diseases for which there are no outstanding treatments using glycopeptides as a new drug discovery target, raised a total of 400 million yen in a seed round in December 2024 through a third-party allotment of new shares to Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd., Taiho Innovations LLC, DG Incubation Inc., and Hokkaido Co-Creation Partners Inc. In addition, Tsuyoshi Tsujimura of Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd. and Fumitaka Mori of Taiho Innovations LLC have been appointed as new outside directors.
Purpose of this fundraising
The funds raised will be used to kick off the practical application of a technology to discover highly selective antibody drugs, based on a groundbreaking antigen presentation method that targets glycopeptides, discovered by Professor Shinichiro Nishimura of Hokkaido University. Specifically, the funds will be used as a resource to promote the rapid delivery of drugs to those who need them, for a wide range of diseases, including not only cancer but also autoimmune diseases and dementia.
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Comments from stakeholders in this fundraising
Tadayoshi Yasui, President and CEO
We are extremely pleased to have been able to complete this round of funding, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the companies that have invested in us.
Since our founding in 2019, we have been working to improve the accuracy, capabilities, and technology of our glycan analysis technology and antigen presentation method, which we have been researching for many years, so that they can be applied to pharmaceutical research and development. We believe that our analysis of the role of disease-specific glycan structures has reached a level superior to that of our competitors.
The next stage is to apply our technology to the development of pharmaceuticals, and this funding was essential for that purpose. With this funding and the guidance of our stakeholders, we will do our best to deliver more effective antibody drugs to patients as soon as possible.
Tsuyoshi Tsujimura, Manager of the Investment Department at Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd.
Enyu Pharma Co., Ltd. has the ability to discover new drug discovery targets by utilizing its unique glycan analysis technology. This technology enables the development of groundbreaking antibody drugs even in areas where treatment has been difficult until now by deeply understanding the structural role of glycans in disease. In addition, the company’s antibody production technology has the potential to dramatically change the concept of antibody drugs by quickly and efficiently producing pharmaceutical antibodies with enhanced disease and tissue specificity through the acquisition of precision glycan-specific antibodies that have been difficult to obtain until now.
Through this investment, Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd. aims to contribute to the realization of new treatments for intractable diseases with high unmet medical needs, including cancer. In particular, we are convinced that the discovery of new drug targets using glycan analysis technology and the development of disease-specific antibody drugs based on these will bring hope to patients who have had limited treatment options until now.
Fumitaka Mori Partner , Taiho Innovations LLC
When I first heard about Enyu Pharma two years ago, I was deeply impressed by their innovative technology that enables previously difficult drug discovery by capturing disease-specific dynamic epitopes (glycopeptides). Since then, we have had many discussions about the approach and implementation structure of drug discovery, and I am truly happy to be able to embark on a new drug discovery challenge together in the form of investment. Enyu Pharma’s drug discovery platform enables early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of cancer, and has the potential to realize the grand dream of a complete cure. Taiho Innovations will do its utmost to support them in making this dream a reality, with the goal of bringing smiles to the faces of patients around the world.
SOURCE: PR TIMES
