Anciata Therapeutics, Inc. is the 11th early-stage or project-focused company (PFC) investment for TVM Life Science Innovation II Fund

Montreal, Canada; Munich, Germany; and Basel, Switzerland (April 10, 2025) – TVM Capital Life Science (“TVM”), a leading international venture capital firm focused on investments in life sciences innovation, together with specialty biotech company, Cellestia Biotech AG (“Cellestia”), today announced that the companies will jointly invest up to USD 34 million in the newly formed U.S.-based biotechnology company, Anciata Therapeutics, Inc. (“Anciata”). TVM will invest with its fund TVM Life Science Innovation II SCSp (“TVM LSI II”) and will provide strategic advice to Anciata, with Dr. Ivan T. Shaw, Principal, joining the Board of Directors and Dr. Marc Rivière, General Partner and Chief Medical Officer to the Fund, serving as a Board Observer. Robert Karsunky will also join the Board of Directors to represent Cellestia. Anciata is the 11th early-stage or project-focused company (PFC) investment for TVM LSI II.

TVM Capital Life Science and Anciata Therapeutics have the option to engage with ExploR&D, a separate research and development unit within Eli Lilly and Company that provides early development services.

Anciata Therapeutics plans to develop to clinical proof of concept IPX-2017, a novel, potentially first-in-class therapeutic candidate with the potential to treat certain types of difficult-to-manage autoimmune disorders.

Rajwinder Lehal, CEO and Board Director of Cellestia, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with TVM Capital Life Science to advance this oral first-in-class therapeutic. This collaboration with TVM underscores Cellestia’s innovative research in immunology and autoimmunity. By combining Cellestia’s scientific expertise with TVM Capital Life Science’s financial support, we see immense potential to deliver life-saving medicines to patients. Moreover, the science behind this partnership is designed to extend benefits beyond autoimmunity to patients suffering with allo-immune diseases and cancer, thereby reaching even more patients in need.”

Guido Guidi, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cellestia, describes this partnership as “a recipe for success, with an experienced team driving groundbreaking science into clinical application.”

“TVM Capital Life Science is proud to have enabled the creation of Anciata Therapeutics to develop a novel first-in-class candidate that can have an impact on challenging autoimmune indications. This investment further builds out TVM’s successful single asset focus for innovative preclinical therapeutic agents,” said Ivan Shaw, Principal of TVM Capital Life Science and Member of the Board of Anciata Therapeutics. “TVM looks forward to collaborate with the experienced management team of Cynthia Cardinal and Chantal Miklosi, who will act as CEO and CFO, respectively, for Anciata Therapeutics.”

About Anciata Therapeutics, Inc.
Anciata Therapeutics, Inc. is a special purpose company created to develop a novel, orally administered therapeutic to clinical proof of concept for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. Anciata Therapeutics is fully financed by TVM Life Science Innovation II and is led by an experienced management team.

About Cellestia Biotech AG
Cellestia Biotech is pioneering innovative therapeutics based on novel modes of action to treat autoimmune diseases and multi-drug-resistant cancers. By integrating structural biology and structure-based drug design, Cellestia has successfully advanced transcription factor inhibitors into the clinic. This breakthrough not only provides compelling proof of concept for safety and treatment of aggressive cancer but also opens new therapeutic avenues to treat chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

About TVM Capital Life Science
TVM Capital Life Science is a leading international venture capital firm focused on investing in life science innovations. The company has a highly experienced transatlantic investment team and approximately $900 million under management. TVM’s portfolio focuses on therapeutics and medical technologies from North America and the EU that represent differentiated first-in-class or best-in-class assets with the potential to transform standard of care.

TVM pursues a unique two-pronged strategy, financing innovative early-stage therapeutics through a single asset company approach (Project-Focused Company, PFC) that leverages the firm’s strategic relationship with global pharmaceutical firm, Eli Lilly and Company. TVM also invests in differentiated commercial-stage medical technologies and late clinical-stage therapeutics. With its early-stage investments, TVM follows several key principles, which include increasing capital efficiency, streamlining development timelines and soliciting buyer input at the time of investment.  This strategy has been validated through successful exits such as AurKa Pharma, Inc. and Acanthas Pharma, Inc.

The TVM investment team has worked together for over a decade to effectively utilize this innovative approach to maximize returns for investors and finance new therapies and technologies to meaningfully improve patient lives.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about TVM Life Science Innovation II’s investment in a preclinical stage compound to treat certain types of autoimmune disorders that Anciata Therapeutics, Inc. is developing. It reflects TVM’s current beliefs.

For further information, please visit www.tvm-capital.com. Follow TVM on LinkedIn.