Citryll BV, a Dutch biotech, has raised €85 million in a Series B venture capital round to advance a monoclonal antibody drug for two inflammatory diseases by targeting a network of extracellular fibers derived from neutrophils. Neutrophils are the body’s first line of defence against infection. One of their methods of protection is to create neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), primarily composed of DNA from neutrophils, that can engulf and kill pathogens. But these NETs can also contribute to disease if produced in excess. Citryll’s antibody therapeutic has been designed to clear NETs where there is too much in supply as well as prevent new traps from being created.
Called CIT-013, the antibody has been tested in a Phase 1 study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and is now poised to enter Phase 2a trials in patients with RA and hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic skin condition.
The Series B financing was co-led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Forbion and the Novartis Venture Fund with participation by Pureos Bioventures and existing investors. Citryll was founded in 2015 and expects the early trials of CIT-013 could lead to a new group of therapeutics with application across immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The company’s chief executive is Eduardo Bravo, formerly CEO of Nordic Nanovector ASA and Tigenix, now part of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd.
Citryll announced the financing on 9 December 2024.
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