Novo Holdings co-leads OMass Therapeutics’ £230 million Series C financing to advance portfolio of small molecule therapeutics in endocrinology and immunology

• Financing co-led by Novo Holdings, Bain Capital Life Sciences and Forbion, with participation from Janus Henderson Investors, SV Health Investors and Jefferson Life Sciences, as well as each of the Company’s existing investors, including Syncona, Oxford Science Enterprises, GV, Northpond Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, British Business Bank and University of Oxford

• Proceeds to advance OMS1620, a potential best-in-class MC2 (melanocortin-2) receptor antagonist, through Phase 2 clinical development in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, as well as ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome

• Financing will also support OMass’ earlier-stage pipeline, including generation of initial clinical data for a potential first-in-class SLC15A4 inhibitor for lupus and other diseases associated with interferon overproduction and pathogenic B-cell activation

OMass Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics against highly validated target ecosystems, today announced an oversubscribed £230 million ($310 million) Series C financing round. The round was co-led by Novo Holdings, Bain Capital Life Sciences and Forbion, with participation from Janus Henderson Investors, SV Health Investors and Jefferson Life Sciences. Each of the Company’s existing investors also participated in the round, including Syncona, Oxford Science Enterprises, GV, Northpond Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, British Business Bank and University of Oxford.

The financing will support the advancement of OMass’ OMS1620, a potential best-in-class MC2 receptor antagonist, through Phase 2 clinical development in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), as well as ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. OMS1620 has been designed to increase receptor residency time and maintain activity in the presence of rising endogenous ACTH levels. This can allow more patients with CAH to achieve androgen normalisation while on physiologic doses of glucocorticoids.

The financing will also support the Company’s earlier-stage pipeline, including generation of initial clinical data for a potential first-in-class SLC15A4 inhibitor for lupus and other diseases associated with interferon overproduction and pathogenic B-cell activation.

In conjunction with the financing, Max Klement, Partner, Venture Investments at Novo Holdings, will receive a Board observer seat.

Ros Deegan, Chief Executive Officer of OMass Therapeutics, said: “This financing comes at an exciting point in OMass’ evolution as we advance OMS1620 into the clinic, with our SLC15A4 inhibitor poised to follow. We have demonstrated the ability of our team and approach to discover and deliver a pipeline of first- and best-in-class programs in endocrinology and immunology into the clinic. With the backing of an outstanding group of new and existing investors, we are entering our next phase with the resources to translate that progress into a portfolio of clinically differentiated medicines for patients.”

Max Klement of Novo Holdings said: “We are pleased to join a premier investor syndicate supporting OMass as the Company advances its breakthrough programs into the clinic. Each of these candidates has the potential to address substantial unmet patient needs in their respective areas of endocrinology and immunology. Underlying this pipeline progress is OMass’ productive OdyssION™ drug discovery platform. This platform is designed to interrogate the spectrum of physical interactions of key disease targets, including membrane proteins and intracellular complexes, that have been highly validated but inadequately drugged to date. We look forward to the Company’s continuing progress.”

About OMass Therapeutics
OMass Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics against highly validated target ecosystems. Its proprietary OdyssION™ drug discovery platform combines next-generation native mass spectrometry, novel biochemistry techniques and custom chemistry to interrogate drug targets within their native ecosystems, providing cell-system fidelity with cell-free precision.

OMass’ lead program, OMS1620, is a best-in-class MC2 (melanocortin-2) receptor antagonist for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome, designed to maintain efficacy in the presence of elevated ACTH levels. OMass is also advancing a broader preclinical pipeline including an SLC15A4 inhibitor for lupus and other indications related to interferon overproduction and pathogenic B-cell activation.

Headquartered in Oxford, UK, OMass was founded as a spin-out from Professor Dame Carol Robinson’s lab at the University of Oxford to translate pioneering native mass spectrometry research into novel small molecule therapeutics against historically challenging targets. The Company is backed by a top-tier international investor syndicate.

To learn more, please visit www.omass.com.