Enthera Pharmaceuticals opens early drug discovery unit at OpenZone life sciences campus to expand autoimmune disease research

The OpenZone drug discovery unit will be used to support Enthera’s new discovery program and accelerate its mission to identify new treatments for intractable autoimmune diseases

Milan, Italy, 7 July 2021 – Enthera Pharmaceuticals (“Enthera”), a biotech company developing first-in-class biologics for selected autoimmune conditions based on the discovery of a novel apoptosis pathway, today announced the opening of an early discovery laboratory at the life sciences campus, OpenZone, located near Milan, Italy.

The new laboratory space will allow Enthera to explore the efficacy of its lead candidate Ent001 in other diseases and open new research programs to expand its pipeline, with a focus on fibrotic conditions. In addition, Enthera will have access to advanced lab equipment and capabilities, including technologies for genome and transcriptome sequencing and analysis, which will be integral to its work.

Enthera will also be able to leverage the benefits of potential collaborations with other resident biotechnology companies, and have the opportunity to work closely with service providers in order to accelerate the drug discovery process.

OpenZone is a scientific campus conceived to create value in the field of healthcare, by fostering community, competencies and capital. With the arrival of Enthera, it is home to 30 enterprises and is undergoing a substantial expansion phase. Thanks to a total investment of around 65 million euros, OpenZone will double in size by 2022, growing to cover a surface area of 37,000 square metres with the capacity to host up to 1,200 people.

Giovanni Amabile, CEO at Enthera, commented: “The new laboratory space will allow us to further accelerate our research in regenerative immunology, addressing underserved autoimmune conditions such as IBD and Type 1 diabetes, and to open new programs and expand our pipeline. One key area of focus for our expanding research efforts will be fibrotic conditions, which have high unmet medical need. OpenZone is a fantastic collaborative scientific hub, with exceptional facilities and resources, and we are looking forward to being part of this burgeoning campus.”

Fabrizio Conicella, General Manager of OpenZone, said: “The arrival of Enthera – which has moved rapidly through preclinical development and had great success with its recent Series A financing – shows that our campus is the right place to grow, do business and research. We are confident that OpenZone’s facilities, community and innovative spirit will give Enthera’s work the boost it needs to achieve its ambitious goals.”

Enthera’s lead clinical product Ent001 is currently in development for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Type 1 diabetes. Ent001 targets the TMEM219/ IGFBP3 axis that was found to be dysregulated in a few autoimmune diseases.

The expansion follows the closing of the largest VC-backed Series A funding round for an Italian biotech in January 2021. Enthera raised €35 million, and is now backed by Sofinnova Partners, AbbVie Ventures, Roche Venture Fund, and JDRF T1D fund.

ENDS

Enthera Pharmaceuticals
Giovanni Amabile, CEO
E: info@entherapharmaceuticals.com

Instinctif Partners (media enquiries)
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / Agnes Stephens / Siobhan Sanford
Tel: +44 20 7457 2020
E: enthera@instinctif.com

OpenZone (media enquiries)
Marco Allegrini
Tel: +39 347 339 5615
E. ufficiostampa@openzone.it

Image Building
Cristina Fossati / Angela Fumis
Tel. +39 02 89011300
E: zambon@imagebuilding.it

Notes to Editors

About Enthera

Enthera Srl is a biotech company developing first-in-class biologics to transform the treatment paradigm of specific autoimmune conditions by re-establishing stem cell capabilities in a non-traditional way. The Company’s primary target indications are type 1 diabetes (T1D) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Enthera’s pioneering approach capitalizes on the key discovery of the IGFBP3/TMEM219 pathway, which is involved in beta cell and stem cell apoptosis in pancreas and gut, respectively.

The Company is building a pipeline of inhibitory monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and fusion proteins targeting the pathway via multiple angles. Its lead program Ent001 is the only drug in development with the potential to restore the endogenous pancreatic stem cell compartment in T1D as well as the original intestine structure in IBD, in order to re-establish organ function.

Enthera is a private company headquartered in Milan, Italy and founded in 2016 by Prof Paolo Fiorina and Dr Francesca D’Addio at BiovelocITA, an Italian biotech accelerator. The Company is backed by Sofinnova Partners, AbbVie Ventures, Roche Venture Fund and JDRF T1D fund. Enthera’s discovery engine and assets are protected by a broad portfolio of patents.

For more information, visit https://www.entherapharmaceuticals.com/

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About OpenZone

OpenZone is the campus, on the doorstep of Milan, dedicated to Health and founded on an approach geared towards open innovation. Conceived to build bridges between different languages and worlds, OpenZone mission is to “uniquely create value in Healthcare, by fostering community, competencies and capital”. Today the campus is home to 30 enterprises, including some of the foremost biotechnology, pharmaceutical and advanced gene therapy companies, all with a strong penchant for innovation. Work is underway to expand the campus, which, thanks to a total investment of around 65 million euros, will double in size by 2022, growing to cover a surface area of 37,000 square metres, with the capacity to host up to 1,200 people.

OpenZone works closely with all stakeholders in the Health sector, to ensure that Milan and Lombardy are increasingly recognized internationally as a territory of excellence for life sciences.

Learn more on www.openzone.it/en