Cambridge-based Artios Pharma, a leading DNA Damage Response company developing innovative treatments for cancer, has completed a stunning $84 million Series B financing with new global investors pitching into a significantly over-subscribed round.

Added to a $36m Series A in September 2016, it means the startup has reeled in $120m in under two years.

Fresh Swiss, French, Dutch and American money was all in the mix in a B-round led by Paris-based Andera Partners and LSP (Life Sciences Partners) in Amsterdam with participation by additional new investors Pfizer Ventures (US & worldwide) and Novartis Venture Fund (Switzerland and Boston US).

Artios’ existing shareholders Arix Bioscience, SV Health Investors, M Ventures, IP Group plc and AbbVie Ventures also pitched in.  

Based at Babraham Research Campus in the UK’s leading life science cluster, Artios is actively developing a pipeline of highly promising first-in-class DDR therapies identified from a global network of leading researchers in the field, including through Cancer Research UK. 

The inhibition of novel DNA repair targets like Polθ, in tumours where DNA damage response factors have been lost or down regulated, will lead to cancer cells being selectively killed without harming normal cells. This creates an opportunity for such products to be used both in monotherapy and in combination with existing and future cancer therapies. 

Artios CEO Niall Martin said: “We are delighted to welcome Andera Partners, LSP, Pfizer Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund to Artios and I would like to thank our existing investors for their continued support, which will help us develop and deliver our exciting DDR targeted therapies to cancer patients.

“This investor syndicate creates a very strong and committed shareholder base with a track record of supporting successful next generation companies. 

“The oversubscribed Series B fundraise is a strong endorsement of our world-leading development pipeline and reflects the opportunity for DDR to yield new breakthrough oncology products.”

The company was only founded by SV Health Investors in 2016 but is led by an experienced scientific and leadership team with proven expertise in DDR drug discovery. 

It has a unique partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), and collaborations with leading DNA repair researchers worldwide, such as the National Centre for Biomolecular Research at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. 

Artios is building a pipeline of next-generation DDR programmes to target hard to treat cancers.

Cancers change their DDR pathways to allow mutations in their DNA so that they can evolve and adapt. This is what causes cancers to overcome many current therapies.

Targeting the remaining DDR pathways has been proven to selectively kill cancer cells through a concept known as ‘synthetic lethality’. This has been demonstrated with the recent success of PARP inhibitors such as Lynparza™ (olaparib; AstraZeneca) in treating a number of cancer types. DDR targeted products have the potential to be used in combination with other cancer agents to help prevent cancers from reoccurring.

Niall Martin played a key role in identifying Lynparza™ (olaparib) and other DDR inhibitors. Before joining Artios, Niall was a co-founder and COO at MISSION Therapeutics, a company focused on the commercialisation of expert research into ubiquitin pathways for the treatment of cancers and other diseases. 

During his time at MISSION, Niall helped establish the deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB) inhibitor platform, and raise more than £80 million in Series A and B financing.

Prior to that, Niall worked as Head of KuDOS Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, UK (a subsidiary of AstraZeneca) from 2008 to 2010, delivering a number of DDR projects into the AstraZeneca oncology pipeline, including ATR and ATM.  

His most notable achievement was establishing KuDOS’ programme against the DDR target PARP, which resulted in the discovery and development of Lynparza™ the first PARP inhibitor to market and a bolt-on second blockbuster drug from a prolific Cambridge stable.

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Artios Pharma CEO Niall Martin