- Tuesday, April 26, 2022 @ 10:00 am
Hemotune AG, a spin-off from ETH Zurich founded in 2017 and being accelerated by Wyss Zurich, today announced the closing of a CHF 7.25 million Series B1 for the development of HemoSystem, a breakthrough blood purification platform based on nanoengineered magnetic beads. The investment consortium was led by Occident with participation of all previous investors including Zürcher Kantonalbank and joined by the new investors Hemex, VP Venture Partners as well as a global family office and private individuals.
The Series B1 will allow Hemotune to complete the preclinical development of HemoSystem and prepare a clinical trial in Hemotune’s lead indication. The HemoSystem is a blood purification platform with much higher efficiency and precision compared to existing methods. It mixes nanoengineered magnetic beads directly with patients’ blood in a dialysis-like machine where they bind to selected targets. While the blood flows through a magnetic filter, beads and bound targets are highly efficiently removed before it is recirculated to the patient’s body. The first therapy under development is designed to restore adequate immune response in sepsis-associated immunosuppression. Sepsis is an underserved global health issue leading to around 11 million deaths every year and being one of the most expensive conditions.
Lukas Langenegger, CEO and co-founder of Hemotune, states: “We are very proud about our achievements in the past years, bringing the technology from a lab concept to a medical device soon to be used to the benefit of patients and building a great network of clinicians and immunologists. We are happy that all previous investors participated in the round and are welcoming the new investors on our journey to disrupt blood purification and sepsis treatment.”
Cédric Barra, Senior Investment Manager for the life sciences sector at Occident comments: “One of the most important factors for us is always the team behind the technology. The team of Hemotune has done a tremendous job and convinced us once again to take the lead in this round. With this funding, the company will be able to continue the very encouraging development of the platform device we have seen over the last years. I am glad that we can contribute to such a relevant therapeutic area with a technology from which many patients can benefit in the future.”
Fabian Bamert, Head of Start-up Finance at Zürcher Kantonalbank says: ”Hemotune is a great example of a Swiss high-tech startup with the bold vision to solve one of the greatest global health challenges. We are proud to be part of Hemotune’s success story from the beginning.”
Dr. Valentin Piëch, Managing Director of VP Venture Partners adds: ”Hemotune’s precision blood purification system is designed to specifically remove individual proteins or combinations thereof, resulting in a medical device platform more akin to therapeutics developed by a traditional biotech, with the added benefit of a leaner development pathway for individual indications.”
Pascal Winnen, CEO of Hemex states: “As clinical research organization with experience in managing global infectious diseases trials, we were intrigued by Hemotune’s innovative approach to tackle septic shock. Being an early-stage life science investor, we look forward to support Hemotune on the journey to making the HemoSystem available to patients globally.”
