Dresden: JADO secures €3.9M to develop lipid RAFT-based allergy treatments

Investment round completed

JADO Technologies, a spin-out from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, has raised €3.9 million in a Series B financing round led, among others, by Peppermint Financial Partners and NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) Bank to advance phase II clinical trials of its proprietary lipid RAFT targeting product TF002 for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and urticaria. The funds will also allow the development of anti-asthma treatments in animals.  

RAFTS are discrete sub-compartments in the lipid membrane of cells that contribute to several disease processes. JADO’s RAFT intervention technology will enable the generation of drugs that block immune responses that rely on lipid rafts to propagate, and thereby act as treatments for allergies, infectious diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

JADO will also develop algorithm-based screening of candidate RAFTS in silico at the Department of Life Science Informatics at the University of Bonn, with the hope of bringing novel drug candidates to the market in 2009.

Ernst Gerlach of NRW said: “We are convinced of the high growth potential for JADO. Our investment provides the necessary finances to establish a subsidiary in Bonn focusing on in-silico RAFT drug discovery. By starting this cooperation with the University of Bonn, the region North Rhine-Westphalia can deliver a sustainable contribution to further strengthen this revolutionary technology platform.”

Charl van Zyl of JADO said: “The continued support from investors, both new and existing, in JADO’s unique approach for finding therapeutics targeting RAFT is very encouraging, particularly in these tough funding conditions. The financing will allow us to complete Phase II clinical development of our lead compound, TF002, and take additional candidates into the preclinical stage. We believe the RAFT mechanism is far-reaching and can be applied in several therapeutic areas. Many existing compounds have activity in lipid membrane, hence potentially against RAFT. So, we are looking not only to discover completely new molecules but also establish a library of existing compounds that we could quickly modify and enter into development.”