PharmEnable has closed a pre-series A investment round of $7.5 million to develop the next generation of small molecule drugs against disease areas of high clinical need.
The funding round was led by MP Healthcare Venture Management (MPH), the venture arm of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group.
There was also participation from existing investors including Cambridge Enterprise, University of Cambridge Enterprise Fund VIII, managed by Parkwalk Advisors, Heyford Trust, o2h Ventures, Martlet Capital, Arrowfield Capital, Wren Capital and angel investors including Jonathan Milner.
The funds will be used to advance and expand PharmEnable’s portfolio of wholly owned and co-discovery projects across oncology and neurology targets, as well as supporting further platform R&D.
PharmEnable uses its platform to discover targeted therapies with the aim of replicating the specificity of biologics, but with improved efficacy, absorption and distribution properties enabled by custom-designed oral small molecules.
The company’s approach combines advanced medicinal chemistry with AI technology, allowing it to map unexplored chemical space. The aim is to develop therapies with fewer side effects to treat diseases with a high clinical need.
PharmEnable has a pipeline of wholly owned oncology programmes, as well as ongoing co-discovery projects with several pharma and biotech companies, including a partnership with Sosei Heptares in neurological disease.
The wholly owned programmes focus on addressing some of the key challenges in oncology such as tumour penetration and overcoming resistance mechanisms.
CEO of PharmEnable Dr Hannah Sore said, “At PharmEnable, we believe that everyone deserves safe and effective treatments, and we are committed to applying the principles chemical novelty, diversity and three-dimensionality to design powerful new small molecule drugs.”
