Xentria Raises $25 Million to Advance Sarcoidosis Pipeline

Xentria said it raised $25 million in a growth equity founding round and opened new corporate headquarters in Chicago.

Photo: Tom Shea, president of Xentria

This funding round is an important milestone for Xentria as we advance our pipeline and execute against our goal of developing critical therapeutics for patients in need,” said Tom Shea, president of Xentria.

Xentria’s lead candidate, XTMAB-16 is a chimeric human-murine IgG1 anti-TNF monoclonal antibody being developed as a novel biologic product for the treatment of sarcoidosis. XTMAB-16 recently completed a phase 1 study that characterized pharmacokinetics and safety in healthy volunteers. Funds will support the next stage of clinical development, including the launch of a global clinical trial in sarcoidosis expected to initiate in early 2023.

Sarcoidosis is a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by the formation of granulomas—tiny clumps of inflammatory cells—in one or more organs of the body. When the immune system goes into overdrive and too many of these clumps form, they can interfere with an organ’s structure and function. When left unchecked, chronic inflammation can lead to fibrosis, which is the permanent scarring of organ tissue. This disorder affects the lungs in approximately 90 percent of cases, but it can affect almost any organ in the body. Despite increasing advances in research, sarcoidosis remains difficult to diagnose with limited treatment options and no known cure.

“Patients with sarcoidosis have limited treatment options. Expanding our world-class leadership team will ensure we have the right experience and expertise at the helm to support the development of XTMAB-16, effectively moving the needle towards accessible treatment options for people living with sarcoidosis,” said Kirsten Anderson, chief operating officer at Xentria.

Author: Rare Daily Staff