Cell-based therapeutics represent an ideal modality for degenerative ocular diseases since most vision loss results from damaged or missing tissue. In recent years, a number of new technological advancements have converged to make this modality both clinically viable and scalable.
Cambridge-headquartered Tenpoint Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pursuing vision-restoring engineered cell-based therapeutics and in vivo reprogramming. Now, the UK startup has raised $70 million in Series A funding. The round saw participation from British Patient Capital, which invested £10 million, F-Prime Capital, Sofinnova Partners (that backed Moon Surgical and Mablink Bioscience), Qiming Venture Partners USA, Eight Roads, and the UCL Technology Fund, among others.
This is British Patient Capital’s ninth investment in the life sciences sector via Future Fund: Breakthrough, a £375 million programme where it co-invests with private sector investors in innovative, R&D-intensive UK companies.
The company intends to use the funds to develop its regenerative medicine platform to replace multiple cell types lost to inherited and age-related conditions.
Catherine Lewis La Torre, CEO of British Patient Capital, said: “Tenpoint Therapeutics has been built on the pioneering work of its scientific founders who are recognised leaders in ocular therapies. Their vision combined with research excellence provides the best foundation to develop treatments that could be gamechangers for millions of patients worldwide. Through Future Fund: Breakthrough, we are delighted to support this truly innovative British business with the funding to take the business to the next level.
Eddy Anglade, MD, CEO of Tenpoint, said: “At Tenpoint, we are focused exclusively on the eye and on harnessing recent advances in regenerative biology to advance our therapies as we work to change the future for people with vision loss by addressing its underlying causes.”
Vision-restoring regenerative medicine platform
Tenpoint Therapeutics was founded by a renowned team of scientific founders – Pete Coffey, Lyndon da Cruz, Deniz Dalkara, Olivier Goureau, Vanessa King, Thomas Reh, and José-Alain Sahel in 2020. It is developing a series of ex vivo and in vivo cell engineering approaches that will provide long-term treatment options for the restoration of vision by replacing lost and dysfunctional tissue in the eye.
Tenpoint aims to deliver therapies that could deliver benefits to patients affected by a large number of degenerative eye diseases. The company’s regenerative medicine platform has the potential to replace cells destroyed by both age-related and inherited ocular diseases.
