Funding to Support Clinical Trials of Targeted Cancer Imaging Agents and Drugs

Kereos (St. Louis, MO), a biotechnology company developing targeted imaging agents and therapeutics to improve the detection and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease, has raised $19.5 million in a Series B venture financing. The funding will enable Kereos to advance its lead product candidates KI-0001, a targeted imaging agent to detect various solid tumors, and KI-1001, a targeted chemotherapeutic to selectively destroy tumors, through Phase I/II clinical trials.

New investors Prolog Ventures, Triathlon Medical Ventures, and Charter Life Sciences led the round along with existing investor RiverVest Venture Partners. Existing investor Barnes-Jewish Hospital also participated in the round. Additional new investors included Alafi Capital, Apjohn Ventures, Harris and Harris Group, Lux Capital, MB Venture Partners, Sigvion Capital and Vectis Life Science, as well as corporate investors Genentech and Royal Philips Electronics.

 "This financing will support proof-of-concept studies with Kereos’ tumor-targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agent, which supports early cancer diagnosis by allowing physicians to see tumors as small as 1 to 2 mm in size, and our targeted chemotherapeutic, which delivers potent doses of paclitaxel directly to the tumor,” said Robert Beardsley, Ph.D., President and CEO of Kereos. “At the same time, Kereos is working in collaboration with corporate and academic partners to develop similar targeted imaging agents and targeted therapeutics for cardiovascular disease.”

Visit www.kereos.com