NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – ImmusanT today announced it has raised $20 million to support further development of its therapy and companion diagnostic and monitoring tool for celiac disease.
The Series A financing comes from venture capital firm Vatera Healthcare Partners and will go toward developing the Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech's immunotherapeutic vaccine Nexvax2 and diagnostics to a proof-of-concept stage. The firm, founded in 2010, said it plans to initiate the next clinical trial in early 2012.
ImmusanT is developing its whole-blood functional T-cell test as a stand-alone diagnostic and as a companion diagnostic for Nexvax2, which combines three peptides that elicit an immune response in patients with celiac disease who carry the immune recognition gene HLA-DQ2. Patients in its clinical trial will be screened with the diagnostic along with standard serology tests to identify those who may benefit the most from Nexvax2, ImmusanT said.