MyoPax Lands First B# Plus Investment for Muscle Gene Therapy

By Daniel Okafor

MyoPax is the first startup to receive funding through IBB Ventures’ newly established B# Plus initiative, the company and investor said. MyoPax and IBB Ventures said the financing will advance gene-repair and regenerative muscle stem cell therapies for genetic muscle-wasting diseases, which can cause progressive deterioration of muscle function. Neither MyoPax nor IBB Ventures disclosed the investment amount or the company’s valuation in the announcement.

What does the B# Plus financing fund?

The money will support further development of MyoPax’s therapeutic platform and preparations for clinical evaluation of its first treatment candidate, the company said. MyoPax said the investment will fund technical and development activities aimed at clinical validation. It will also complement the company’s support through the European Union’s EIC Accelerator program, according to MyoPax and IBB Ventures.

Together, the two funding sources strengthen MyoPax’s resources for therapeutic development, preparations for future studies and progress toward clinical validation, the company said. MyoPax said the additional capital supports its transition from research-based development toward the potential clinical application of its regenerative medicine platform.

What does the therapy target?

MyoPax focuses on treatments for genetic muscle-wasting diseases, the company said. Traditional approaches to many inherited muscle disorders concentrate on managing symptoms and supporting physical function, MyoPax said. MyoPax said its platform combines gene repair with regenerative muscle stem cell approaches intended to address underlying biological causes of muscle disease and the genetic defects behind inherited disorders.

The company said muscle stem cells could form the basis for treatments capable of repairing damaged or genetically affected muscle tissue. MyoPax is pursuing new treatment options by combining cellular therapies with technologies that address genetic defects, the company said.

Where does the science come from?

MyoPax said it is translating research from Charité and the Max Delbrück Center into potential therapeutic applications while preparing its first treatment candidate for clinical development. Professor Dr. Simone Spuler, Dr. Diane Seimetz and Dr. Verena Schöwel-Wolf founded the company. MyoPax said its founders bring expertise spanning medical research, regenerative medicine and biotechnology development. Their work focuses on the potential of muscle stem cells as a basis for treating damaged or genetically affected tissue.

Why is IBB Ventures extending its support?

IBB Ventures has maintained a relationship with the MyoPax team since before the company’s formation, the investment firm said. It previously supported MyoPax through its B# Pre-Seed Fund. IBB Ventures said the new B# Plus initiative extends that relationship while helping technology startups continue developing products and advance toward important commercial or clinical milestones.

Ute Mercker, Investment Director And Authorised Signatory At IBB Ventures, said:

“We were in contact with the MyoPax team even before the company was founded and have stayed in touch over the years. We are convinced by the technological platform, the founders’ in-depth medical expertise and their progress towards clinical validation. These factors led us to make our first investment through the B# Pre-Seed Fund.”

The investment extends an earlier IBB Ventures commitment to the next stage of MyoPax’s development, the firm said. The move from B# Pre-Seed Fund to B# Plus parallels MyoPax’s shift from research-based development toward clinical preparation, MyoPax said.

MyoPax said the new funding supports continued preparations for its DELI550 clinical program and work on technologies from the Berlin research ecosystem.

What happens next?

MyoPax said the financing will fund the technical and development activities needed to advance its therapeutic platform toward clinical validation and prepare its first candidate for future studies. MyoPax said the wider aim remains to translate academic research in muscle biology and gene repair into new treatments for inherited muscle-wasting conditions. Neither the company nor IBB Ventures set out a timetable for those studies in the announcement.

The next test for MyoPax is whether DELI550 moves from preparation into clinical evaluation. The company says the B# Plus financing is intended to support that step.