Alyssum Therapeutics, a clinical stage immunology company, expands Series A with participation from Femhealth Ventures

• Will fund clinical trials with a first in class, clinical stage CMTR2 inhibitor that activates a B cell immune response against tumors

CAMBRIDGE, MA, UNITED STATES, January 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Alyssum Therapeutics, which recently came out of stealth mode raising a total of $26M in Series A financing, added an additional $2M from FemHealth Ventures. Alyssum Therapeutics is developing AT-1965, a clinical stage, first in class small molecule CMTR2 inhibitor that converts immunologically cold tumors into hot and recruits a B cell-driven immune response against the tumor. High CMTR2 expression in tumors is associated with poor prognosis for many tumor types including breast cancers, positioning it as a novel target in cancer therapy. The recruitment of B cells has recently been reported to be the best indicator of long-term survival in cancer patients. Earlier this year, Alyssum had announced the dosing of the first patient with AT-1965.

“The early clinical signals are consistent with single agent activity even at very low doses of AT-1965 in heavily-pretreated patients with advanced cancer, which was very compelling. Additionally, B cells underlie a large number of conditions that females are more predisposed to” said Maneesha Ghiya, Managing Partner of Femhealth Ventures, “We are excited to be part of this next-generation immunology start-up”.

“B cells activate both innate and adaptive immunity and therefore exert a 360° immune response. Modulating B cells can have a profound impact on the immune response and represents an exciting therapeutic approach to treat many diseases. We are excited to work with Femhealth ventures team as we are perfectly aligned on bringing first in class transformative therapies to patients”, said Dr. Shiladitya Sengupta, Alyssum co-founder and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

About Alyssum Therapeutics
Alyssum Therapeutics is a clinical stage company developing first in class molecules that modulate B cell immune response as potential treatments for immunological conditions and oncology. The company’s lead clinical candidate AT-1965 is a first-in-class small molecule in a liposomal formulation, targeting CMTR2 in cancer cells to make tumors immunologically hot and visible like a virus to B cells. B cells act as antigen presenting cells to activate T cells, secrete antibodies (IgMs and IgGs) that recruit innate immune cells (macrophages, NK cells etc), and release cytokines to create an immunologically inflamed environment. Modulating B cells has the potential to be more effective than targeting other factors or immune cells.

Contact: Paul Theunissen, CFO, Alyssum Therapeutics Inc, ptheunissen@alyssumtx.com

Paul Theunissen
Alyssum Therapeutics Inc
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