Enzyre closes Series A financing round of €12M to advance pioneering diagnostic technology platform for hemophilia patients

• Funds will be used to accelerate development of proprietary ambulant diagnostic platform and establish manufacturing capabilities
• Plans to expand platform beyond hemophilia A

Enzyre, which is developing breakthrough ambulant diagnostic technology for blood coagulation testing, today announced that it has successfully raised EUR 12 million in a Series A financing led by new investor, Oost NL with participation from i&i Biotech Fund, Demcon Investment as technology partner and existing investors, Takeda Ventures and Novalis Biotech. Part of the funding is an Innovation Credit from the Dutch Government.

The proceeds from the financing will enable Enzyre to further develop its unique diagnostic technology platform, EnzyPad, which will enable hemophilia patients to determine and monitor their coagulation status from home in real-time. The funds will support clinical trial registrations, the establishment of a sustainable manufacturing line and investment in expanding applications in the critical care setting. 

Enzyre’s first product, Hemophilia EnzyCard, uses the Company’s proprietary EnzyPad platform technology to determine the coagulation status of patients with hemophilia, a rare genetic disorder that is estimated to affect over 800,000 people worldwide[1]. Those with hemophilia A lack sufficient blood-clotting factor VIII (FVIII) activity, causing them to bleed for longer after an injury compared to healthy subjects. Due to the complexities associated with managing the condition, patients benefit from being able to safely monitor their condition at home while potentially staying connected with their care team by telemedicine. Enzyre’s technology will enable patients to self-test in a home setting, and eventually transfer their coagulation status to their treating physician through a mobile phone app and a cloud-based application. This will allow for timely personalized therapy adjustments that may improve clinical outcomes while avoiding unnecessary travel and hospital exposure, ultimately decreasing overall treatment burden and cost for patients and healthcare systems.                              

Guido Maertens, Chief Executive Officer of Enzyre, said: “We are delighted to have closed this successful financing round which validates our technology and will underpin our ongoing development as we take Enzyre forward into the next phase of growth. We value Takeda’s continued support and welcome the commitment from a strong cohort of new and existing investors. Together we look forward to improving the quality of life for patients living with bleeding disorders by driving forward our goal to transform their standard of care.”

Pieter Rhemrev, senior investment manager at Oost NL, acting as lead investor of the syndicate, commented: “We are excited to be working with Enzyre in developing a truly innovative technology that is a potential game changer in the management of Hemophilia A and other bleeding disorders. Patient outcomes and quality of life will be dramatically improved by the ability of physicians to monitor coagulation status in real-time and we see great potential for the product to enhance personalized care. We look forward to joining this talented team and our syndicate partners in supporting Enzyre’s pathway to future success.”

For further information

Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark, Manel Mateus, Charlotte Hepburne-Scott
Tel: +44 203 9509144
Email: enzyre@optimumcomms.com

About Enzyre 

Enzyre is a spin-out from Radboud University Medical Center in The Netherlands founded by Waander van Heerde and Guido Maertens. The Company aims to develop a diagnostic device to provide patients with the flexibility to assess their coagulation status regardless of where they are. Enzyre’s platform requires a small volume of blood to measure up to sixteen reactions simultaneously with high sensitivity and specificity without any laboratory infrastructure, at home, on the road or in a critical care setting. This offers enormous benefits to patients: avoid crisis situations driven by changes in coagulation status, provide ease of mind for patients, empower patients to optimize treatment themselves, be a quick turnaround tool in the clinical setting, reduce GP consultation visits and, as a personalized diagnostic tool, offer great support in a telemedicine setting.

For more information, please visit www.enzyre.com

About Oost NL

Oost NL is the development company of the Eastern Netherlands. It is strengthening the regional economy on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland, by investing public money in entrepreneurs in the east of the Netherlands.

In addition to these financial resources, Oost NL also makes its knowledge, expertise and network available. It is active in the top sectors - Food, Energy, Health, Tech and Circular Economy.

An optimal balance between social and economic returns is of great importance to Oost NL. It lets entrepreneurs innovate, invest and internationalize to accelerate their growth. In this way it ensures the sustainable growth of the regional economy. In addition, Oost NL creates favourable conditions for solving global, social issues, offering entrepreneurs money and resources to create social returns with a focus on sustainability, smart industry and concepts for a healthy life.

For more information, please visit www.oostnl.nl

About i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio)

i&i Bio is a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm that invests in innovative European Life Sciences companies focused on drug discoveries, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. The Fund was created thanks to the cooperation of the biotech incubator i&i Prague and the European Investment Fund. With over €45M under management, i&i Bio plans to invest in about 20 early-stage companies. i&i Bio is led by an experienced team of professionals with backgrounds in private equity, healthcare and venture capital supporting entrepreneurs on their journey to global success. Thanks to the close cooperation with the fund’s sponsor, the biotech academic incubator i&i Prague, i&i Bio is supporting and advancing transformative Central European technology companies.

i&i Bio is supported by an investment from the EIF, with the support of:

lnnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing; and

the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF), implemented by the EIF with the financial support of the Participating Member States. The objective of EGF is to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that companies in the Participating Member States have sufficient short-term liquidity available to weather the crisis and are able to continue their growth and development in the medium to long-term.

For more information visit www.inibio.eu

About Demcon

Demcon develops, produces and supplies technology and innovative products. The company was created as a result of the passion of its founders for combining creativity and technical skills focused on solving complex issues. In addition to developing technical solutions, Demcon also focuses its efforts on promoting entrepreneurship and investing in talent and education. 

For more information, please visit www.demcon.com

About Novalis Biotech

Novalis Biotech (Ghent, Belgium) is an early-stage venture capital investor in technologies that revolutionize healthcare. The company’s core competence lies in digitalization in the life sciences with a focus on bioinformatics, genomics and diagnostics. Novalis strongly believes in applying innovative enabling technology to advance the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease.

For more information, please visit www.noval.is.

About Takeda Ventures, Inc.

Takeda Ventures, Inc. (TVI) is the corporate venture capital group of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) and was founded in 2001 with the vision of generating disruptive technologies and therapeutic solutions for patients through venture-based partnerships. TVI’s mission is to create strategic growth opportunities for Takeda by building, managing and investing in innovation-based companies.  TVI partners with academic innovators, entrepreneurs and venture investors to create and nurture a portfolio of companies in an array of therapeutic areas, including oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system disorders.

For more information, please visit www.takedaventures.com

[1] World Federation of Hemophilia. Report on the Annual Global Survey 2020. October 2021. https://bit.ly/3DaJhUk

Source: Enzyre