Flindr Receives €20 Million to Advance Precision Cancer Treatments with RNF31 Inhibitor

Flindr Therapeutics has secured €20 million in Series A funding to advance its precision oncology treatments, focusing on a promising small molecule inhibitor targeting RNF31. The investment, led by V-Bio Ventures and supported by an international syndicate, will propel the development of Flindr's drug discovery engine and support its lead program towards clinical trials.

Based in Oss, Netherlands, Flindr specializes in crafting therapeutics that precisely target and potentially eradicate tumors in specific patient demographics. The latest funding round was led by V-Bio Ventures and drew support from a prestigious consortium including Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., QBIC Fund, Flanders Future Tech Fund, Curie Capital, and several seed investors.

"The backing of this highly regarded investor syndicate is a strong validation of our unique approach and the potential of our pipeline," stated Maarten Ligtenberg, CEO and founder of Flindr.

The spotlight shines on Flindr’s lead asset, a novel small molecule inhibitor targeting RNF31, a key player in various cancers. This protein, known scientifically as HOIP, plays a crucial role in stabilizing malignancy-driving proteins through a process called ubiquitination, which has been linked to both solid and blood cancers.

Flindr's approach combines cutting-edge science with a keen focus on translational biology, cancer target identification, and immuno-oncology. The company prides itself on its "ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine," a platform that arose from groundbreaking work at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Oncode Institute. This engine utilizes real-world clinical data to reverse-engineer cancer's complexity, enabling the identification of critical drug targets.

With promising results already seen in preclinical studies for ovarian cancer and B-cell lymphoma, Flindr plans to use the newly acquired funds to progress its lead program to Investigational New Drug (IND) status. Moreover, the investment will aid in expanding its drug development pipeline and advancing a second promising program.

"The Flindr team combines well-established identification expertise from the NKI with world-class biological insights from VIB, and its deep experience and successful track record in the identification and development of covalent small molecules inhibitors," said Christina Takke, Managing Partner at V-Bio Ventures.