On January 27, 2016 Tarveda Therapeutics, Inc., formerly Blend Therapeutics, reported that it has secured $38 million in Series C financing co-led by new investor Novo A/S and existing investor New Enterprise Associates (NEA) (Press release, Tarveda Therapeutics, JAN 27, 2016, View Source [SID:1234508887]). The company also announced the change of its corporate brand to clearly highlight the company’s differentiated approach to treating cancer.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The name Tarveda represents the company’s distinct approach, based on its proprietary Pentarin platform and deep knowledge of solid tumor biology, to developing cancer drug conjugates that possess the attributes required to successfully treat solid tumor cancers. Pentarins are miniaturized biologic drug conjugates designed to target, penetrate and treat solid tumors while overcoming certain key limitations seen with antibody drug conjugates and other, larger cancer drugs.

"We are changing the corporate brand to Tarveda to mark our focus on a promising pipeline of Pentarins. Pentarins have demonstrated potential for the treatment of a broad range of solid tumors including neuroendocrine and small cell lung cancers," said Drew Fromkin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tarveda Therapeutics. "This financing will accelerate our progress in advancing Pentarin candidates into the clinic to treat cancer patients with solid tumors where large unmet needs remain. We are pleased that we have attracted an outstanding syndicate of life sciences investors with strong financial and sector experience to assist Tarveda in becoming a leading innovator of cancer therapies during this exciting time for our Company."

Proceeds from the Series C financing will be used to advance a pipeline of Pentarins that Tarveda is developing for a range of solid tumor targets. In particular, the funding will support the advancement of Tarveda’s lead drug candidate, PEN-221, into Phase 1 clinical studies in mid-2016. PEN-221 is designed to target the somatostatin receptor for treatment of patients with neuroendocrine cancers including small cell lung cancer. With the availability of diagnostic tools to identify patients with over-expression of the somatostatin receptor in their tumors, Tarveda is employing a targeted strategy for clinical development by enrolling patients in the Phase 1 study who have been identified as most likely to benefit from treatment with PEN-221.

"PEN-221’s design and approach is consistent with the desired patient stratification seen with leading edge oncology programs today, and represents a rare and exciting opportunity to address a significant need for improved neuroendocrine cancer medicines. We are excited to join a top-tier syndicate of investors who are looking to address today’s challenges with the treatment of solid tumor cancers and advance Tarveda’s Pentarins into the clinic," said Nilesh Kumar, Senior Principal at Novo Ventures (US) Inc.*

"This financing recognizes the promising opportunity for Tarveda to create a pipeline of Pentarins to treat a wide range of solid tumors. Tarveda’s technology represents a unique and improved approach to such tumor targeting, and I have great confidence in the ability of Tarveda’s integrated scientific, clinical and business team to successfully advance Pentarins into clinical trials and make a meaningful impact in the treatment of cancer," said Dr. Frank Torti, M.D., Partner at NEA.

In addition to lead investors Novo A/S and NEA, the Series C financing includes participation from other existing investors Flagship Ventures, NanoDimension and Eminent Venture Capital. Concurrent with the financing, Nilesh Kumar of Novo Ventures (US) Inc. and Frank Torti, M.D. of NEA will join Tarveda’s Board of Directors and Drew Fromkin will serve as interim Chairman of the Board.

With Tarveda’s strategic focus on Pentarins, the company’s innovative platinum drug candidate, BTP-114, has been transitioned into a newly formed, independent company, Placon Therapeutics. BTP-114 is a novel platinum drug candidate, which has an approved Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). BTP-114 is ready to enter clinical development, and Placon is seeking a strategic partner to advance its clinical development.

About Pentarins
Pentarins are miniaturized biologic drug conjugates that represent a novel approach for the treatment of patients with solid tumor cancers. With the Pentarin platform, Tarveda is developing therapeutics that incorporate innovative targeting moieties linked to potent cancer cell-killing payloads to treat solid tumors. Each Pentarin is engineered to penetrate deep into solid tumors to drive efficacy through the inherent design of the miniaturized drug conjugate itself and/or by applying the company’s proprietary platform techniques to create Pentarins with ideal therapeutic attributes including tuned pharmacokinetics and biodistribution, tumor accumulation, tumor penetration, and cancer cell uptake.