Yposkesi
Yposkesi, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on the production of gene therapy drugs, announces a new chapter in its development by welcoming the SK Group as a new majority shareholder, alongside shareholders AFM-Téléthon and Bpifrance. By forging a strong industrial partnership, Yposkesi will strengthen its production capacity at its site in Corbeil-Essonnes (near Paris), France, to meet the growing demand for gene therapy treatments for rare and common diseases. The company will strengthen its ability to innovate and develop processes for the benefit of its customers. The SK Group holds a 70% stake in Yposkesi, while the founding shareholders will deduct a 25% stake for H-MRB (AFM-Telethon/Généthon/CECS) and 5% for Bpifrance. They will both be involved in the decisions taken by the Board of Directors.
“The involvement of the SK Group in Yposkesi marks a new chapter in the development of the production platform we created more than four years ago. It will double the production capacity at the Corbeil-Essonnes site and strengthen its capacities in terms of technological innovation, thus accelerating the industrialization of gene therapies, a global challenge in which Yposkesi will play a major role,” said Frédéric Revah, Chief Executive Officer of Genethon and President of H-MRB (AFM-Telethon/Genethon/CECS).
XENOTHERA
Nantes-based biotech company XENOTHERA, which is developing a proprietary “glyco-humanized” antibody technology platform based on dual expertise in genetics and immunology, announced today that it has completed a €20 million financing round. This new round of financing is financed by the current shareholders, including Didier Rousseau, FAMM’s President and Founder, and welcomes a number of new investors, in particular the European fund EIC Fund, the holding company Nabuboto, the French fund Anaxago Capital (Objectif Innovation 18), and the social security group Malakoff Humanis (a French company that provides financial services to the public). The capital increase will enable the Nantes-based company, which has become better known through the development of its anti-COVID-19 treatment, XAV-19, to accelerate its growth and develop its product portfolio.
In just a few years, the Nantes-based company has brought two products to the clinical stage, LIS1, an immunosuppressant for transplantation, and XAV-19, an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody. In addition, it is developing XAB05, a preventive treatment for infections by multi-resistant bacteria, and a very promising portfolio in oncology.
