Haptena Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing innovative approaches for the treatment of tumours caused by specific oncogenes, announces that it has commenced operations and closed a €3 million seed funding round, entirely subscribed by Claris Ventures, an Italian venture capital firm specialising in early-stage biotech.
The investment will enable Haptena to advance the development of its research platform and move forward with its first programme, focused on KRAS-mutated tumours, with the aim of improving long-term treatment opportunities for patients who currently have limited therapeutic options.
Founded by Chiara Ambrogio (University of Turin) and Roberto Chiarle (Boston Children’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School; University of Turin) – pictured – Haptena leverages its extensive experience in cancer biology and the evolution of tumour resistance mechanisms to expand the therapeutic potential of precision oncology.
KRAS is the most common oncogene in solid tumours, with mutations present in approximately 25% of adult tumours, including lung, pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Long considered untreatable with drugs, KRAS had no targeted therapy until 2021, when the approval of the first inhibitors brought initial clinical benefits and paved the way for new advances in the field. Haptena is developing an approach designed to strengthen the standard of care by targeting highly specific tumour vulnerabilities that emerge in previously treated patients.
“Our goal is to provide more lasting clinical responses for patients with KRAS-mutated tumours,” Ambrogio said in a statement. “Current therapies are an important starting point, but resistance remains a significant barrier. By targeting the biological mechanisms that emerge as tumours adapt to KRAS blockade, we aim to significantly extend the impact of existing treatments.”
The funding from Claris Ventures will enable Haptena to advance its lead programme KRAS G12C towards preclinical validation in non-small cell lung cancer, while establishing a robust modus operandi for applying its discovery approach to tumours characterised by other oncogenic drivers. This will enable the construction of a scalable pipeline capable of generating new therapeutic opportunities for patients whose tumours evolve or develop resistance to current precision treatments.
“Haptena represents exactly the kind of innovative scientific and therapeutic approach we want to support,” says Pietro Puglisi, managing partner at Claris Ventures. “We are thrilled to be supporting such a high-profile scientific team, to be doing so in Turin, and to be able to announce it as the first investment of our newly launched second fund.”
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