Commit Biologics launches with €16m seed financing to pioneer complement system activation to treat cancer and autoimmune disease

• Financing led by Bioqube Ventures and Novo Holdings
• Commit is pioneering a novel approach to activating the complement component of the immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases
• Its unique bispecific technology (BiCE™) engages the complement system, unleashing its power to selectively kill target cells
• Spin-out from Aarhus University in Denmark, a world leader in complement structural biology

AARHUS, Denmark, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Commit Biologics ("Commit"), a pioneer in the activation of the complement system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, today exits from stealth with €16m in seed funding from Bioqube Ventures and Novo Holdings.

Commit plans to accelerate development of its Bispecific Complement Engaging (BiCE™) platform, which uses single domain antibodies that bind to the complement protein C1q to activate the complement system, a fast-acting and potent part of the innate immune system.  BiCE™ is a modular system that can arm antibodies to direct the complement system in a highly targeted way, so that it selectively kills cancer cells or immune cells that drive autoimmune diseases.

Commit is a spin-out from Aarhus University in Denmark, which has built a global reputation as a center of excellence in complement system biology over the last three decades. The Company was initially incubated and supported by the BioInnovation Institute in Denmark.  

Krishna Polu, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Commit Biologics, said: "This financing from Novo Holdings and Bioqube Ventures validates our pioneering approach of engaging and activating the complement system for therapeutic purposes. Our BiCE™ platform gives us the ability to engage the complement system so that it attacks targeted cells in a highly selective manner. This platform also means we can use established antibodies, which cuts development times and reduces risk, to develop best-in-class therapeutics. This is a novel way of harnessing the immune system to tackle cancer and autoimmune disease, and we are confident in the tremendous potential it offers."

Jeroen Bakker, Partner at Novo Holdings, said: "With over 30 years of academic rigor from leaders in the complement field behind it, Commit is now unlocking the potential of the complement system to transform the fight against cancer and autoimmune diseases. The team has an incredible track record of domain expertise, and we look forward to working with them to support them on their journey."

Roderick Verhelst, Principal at Bioqube Ventures, said: "We believe Commit is doing something truly novel in the field of complement and advancing a technology with a multitude of therapeutic applications. Through its direct engagement of the complement system, this BiCE™ technology is a best-in-class approach for complement activation. The ability to arm conventional antibodies with potent complement activators for the development of targeted cell killing therapeutics is also a very attractive way of accelerating and derisking product development."

Commit's uniquely engineered and highly specific approach to triggering the complement system is expected to have a wide therapeutic index and broad applicability. BiCE™ technology is modular and active across multiple tumor-associated and target antigens. This approach to activating the immune system can be used in conjunction with other mechanisms of action, such as T-cell directed therapies or other targeted treatments. While antibody drug conjugates, T-cell engagers and CAR-Ts have made important advances in recent years, these approaches can be limited by toxicities, specific target density considerations, and - with T-cell directed therapies – T-cell exhaustion. The BiCE™ technology can potentially address these limitations to enable the development of effective therapeutic options for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.

About Commit Biologics

Commit Biologics (Commit) is a pioneer in activating the complement system to kill specific target cells, with applications in cancers and autoimmune diseases. Spun out of Aarhus University, and building on more than three decades of research, Commit's Bispecific Complement Engaging (BiCE™) platform can supercharge a conventional monoclonal antibody to activate the complement system more effectively. This is achieved by combining single domain antibodies that engage C1q, the starting point for the complement activation cascade, with an antibody that binds to a cellular target.  The modular approach of the BiCE™ technology can be used to develop therapeutics across multiple tumor-associated antigens and immune cell targets. Complement is a largely untapped aspect of the body's natural immune system that leverages both the direct cytolytic activity of complement along with its ability to bridge recruitment and activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells – a new approach to killing cells which can be used in combination or on a standalone basis. Commit is backed by major investors including Bioqube Ventures and Novo Holdings.

About the complement system

The complement system is part of the body's immune system that has previously been largely untapped therapeutically. The activation of the classical complement pathway, which has a role in health for pathogen defense, begins with the engagement of C1q to antibodies that coat the cell surface and ends with the activation of a cytolytic complement complex directly leading to cell lysis. However, current monoclonal antibodies developed for therapeutic purposes have structural restraints that hinder effective engagement to C1q, thus limiting complement mediated cytotoxicity and other complement mediated effector functions. This, plus the presence of natural cell bound complement inhibitors that are upregulated in cancer, and low target densities, make conventional therapeutic antibodies poor complement activators. Commit's BiCE™ technology was developed to overcome these barriers, to harness the power of the complement system and direct it towards tumor and immune cells for therapeutic applications. Unleashing this power in a highly targeted way with Commit's technology potentially allows for a broad therapeutic index and the development of highly effective treatments.