Seroba Kernel Lifesciences

Novartis Venture Fund, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Inventages Venture Capital and Seroba Kernel Life Sciences invests in Opsona Therapeutics Series B Financing

Proceeds will Advance Lead Compound Targeting Inflammatory Diseases into Clinical Development

Opsona opens facility in Switzerland to complement Dublin team

DUBLIN, Ireland -- 18 February 2009 -- Opsona Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on novel therapeutic and preventative approaches to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, today announced the completion of an €18M ($23M) Series B financing round which will enable it to expand both at an operational and clinical level. Novartis Venture Fund, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Inventages Venture Capital and Seroba Kernel Life Sciences all participated in the funding.

Proceeds will support the advancement of Opsona‘s clinical trials targeting inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and transplantation. As a part of the financing, Opsona Therapeutics also announced the addition of Florent Gros, managing director at Novartis Venture Fund, and Dr. Manus Rogan, managing partner at Fountain Healthcare Partners, to the Board of Directors. Opsona expects to make a number of other key appointments in the corporate and clinical areas in the coming months.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Mark Heffernan, Chief Executive Officer of Opsona Therapeutics, said: "Completion of this financing represents a significant milestone in the transition of Opsona into a product-focused company delivering key clinical development milestones. With the endorsement of our existing and new investors, including the Novartis Venture Fund, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Seroba Kernel Life Sciences. Opsona is positioned to deliver on proof of concept studies in patients by targeting inflammatory diseases through the innate immune system, with our ultimate aim being to uncover innovative therapies that combat diseases with significant unmet medical need."

Opsona is developing biopharmaceutical and small molecule products which modulate the innate immune system, which is the key trigger in the inflammation cascade in many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Opsona’s lead product, a fully humanised monoclonal antibody (OPN-305) to a key toll-like receptor (TLR) target, has demonstrated efficacy in a number of animal models and will start pivotal clinical trials in 2010.

Florent Gros, managing director, Novartis Venture Fund added, "We are delighted to be working with Opsona Therapeutics and the other investors to assist Opsona in progressing the company’s highly innovative technology and approaches towards the clinic. The innate immune system represents a new frontier in targeting inflammatory diseases, and the caliber of the investors in this funding round is a demonstration of Opsona’s expertise and capabilities in this highly promising field."

Opsona has also announced the opening of a new facility in Switzerland. The Swiss laboratory will carry out pivotal assay development and biochemical work for new projects and therapeutics recently acquired by Opsona to expand its pipeline of immunomodulators. The expertise that it intends to grow in Switzerland will complement the existing team and activity in Dublin. Dr Cormac Kilty, Chairman of Opsona and past Chairman of the Irish Bioindustry Association explains "This is major achievement for any biotechnology company in the current economic climate. Opsona’s R&D shows that emerging Irish companies can reach international recognition in biotechnology."

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