EUR 9 million Series A financing was secured by HepaRegeniX at the end of 2016 – sufficient to further advance its innovative approach to the treatment of liver disease. The first milestone is the development of a lead candidate, the second the preparation of clinical trials. The concept is based on research results previously obtained by HepaRegeniX cofounder Prof. Lars Zender and his team at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Hannover Medical School (MHH). ‘The researchers have discovered a switch with which they can reactivate the regenerative capacity of the liver in a highly specific way. This could give patients with chronic or acute liver disease a completely new chance – in the long term, maybe even an alternative to transplantation,’ says Dr Sabina Heim, Technology Manager at Ascenion. Together with her colleagues at Ascenion and at the HZI, she has been intensively supporting the entrepreneurial team throughout the patenting and project development stages, and during the company launch.
(Annual Review 2016)
