One of the largest seed funds raised by a Singapore-based biotechnology company
Tetris Therapeutics is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) technology company
May 4, 2022 – Singapore biotechnology startup Tetris Therapeutics has raised US$15 million from the funds managed by Trinity Innovation Bioventure Singapore (TIBS) and its affiliates to develop antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) that aim to address unmet medical needs. ADCs are one of the fastest growing fields in cancer therapy with market size projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 24% over the period of 2022 to 2029. Global sales of currently marketed ADCs are forecast to exceed US$16.4 billion in 2026.
“ADCs consist of three components, antibody, drug payload, and linker. We call ourselves Tetris Therapeutics because like the game of Tetris, different placement of the ADCs building blocks will result in distinct cancer treatment outcomes,” said Dr. Zou Bin, founder and CEO of Tetris Therapeutics. “Although the first ADC dates back to the early 2000s, there is an urgent need to develop new generation of ADCs to further improve therapeutic window. We plan on harnessing the cell selectivity of antibodies and the cytotoxicity of small molecule toxins to selectively destroy malignant cancerous cells with a ‘magic bullet’ while sparing healthy tissues.”
Established in March 2022, Tetris Therapeutics is a platform-based biotechnology company and firmly believes that ADC is the long-awaited solution to cancer. Funding from this seed round will be used to expand the team, establish the technology platform and develop a robust pipeline. Tetris Therapeutics is currently setting up research and development facilities in Singapore.
In addition to establishing Tetris Therapeutics, Dr. Zou is an adjunct associate professor at National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. He is a serial entrepreneur and was the founder and CEO of Shanghai Blueray Biopharma. Under his leadership, he successfully led the team to develop several candidates into the investigational new drug (IND) stage. Prior to his venture, Dr. Zou started his career as a principal scientist at Novartis Institute for Tropical Disease and discovered Phase II clinical trial drug NITD609.
“Tetris Therapeutics is very grateful for the support of TIBS.” Said Dr. Zou, “TIBS is a professional VC specializing in biotechnology investment. I am keen in working with TIBS and future investors to develop new medicines for cancer patients.”
“TIBS is excited to invest in its first Singapore biotech.” Said Dr. Thomas Keller, Investment Partner of TIBS, “Working with Dr. Zou Bin to nurture Tetris Therapeutics will be a wonderful journey and TIBS is looking forward to the rapid growth of Tetris Therapeutics.”
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About Tetris Therapeutics
Established in March 2022, Tetris Therapeutics is a Singapore based biotechnology company focusing on the development of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapies to revolutionise cancer treatments. Leveraging on proprietary technologies, Tetris Therapeutics is developing a robust pipeline of ADC candidates to address unmet medical needs for new treatment options.
About Trinity Innovation Bioventure Singapore
TIBS is a Singapore-based venture capital firm dedicated to investing in biomedical innovations (VCFM license no. CMS101403). TIBS helps passionate scientists and entrepreneurs develop ground-breaking scientific research into successful corporate ventures.
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