US investors heavily back Artios Pharma $115m Series D growth round
The round was co-led by founding investor SV Health Investors in Boston US and London UK and new investor RA Capital Management (Boston, New York and San Francisco) with participation from another fresh backer, Janus Henderson Investors. There was also broad support from Artios’ existing investors.
The Series D proceeds will expand the clinical evaluation of Artios’ lead program, alnodesertib, to enrol additional ATM-negative1 patients in each of second-line pancreatic cancer and third-line colorectal cancer, for which the program was recently granted U.S. FDA Fast Track Designation.
At the AACR meeting in April 2025, Artios reported that alnodesertib, in combination with low-dose irinotecan, demonstrated a 50% confirmed overall response rate in patients with ATM-negative solid tumours at the recommended Phase 2 dose in the STELLA Phase 1/2a trial.
There are currently no approved therapies specifically for patients whose tumours harbour ATM-deficiency, a population where alnodesertib has demonstrated durable responses across eight different solid tumours.
The proceeds from the financing will also be used to initiate a Phase 2 randomised clinical trial for Artios’ second potential first-in-class candidate, ART6043, in patients with BRCA-mutant HER2-negative breast cancer who are eligible to receive a PARP inhibitor.
The DNA polymerase Theta (Polθ) inhibitor, ART6043, demonstrated an attractive tolerability profile, expected PK/PD activity and promising clinical signals in data from a Phase 1/2a study presented at the ESMO Congress in September. The company is also advancing a first-in-class and highly differentiated DDR inhibitor-Antibody Drug Conjugate (DDRi-ADC) programme and expects to name a lead candidate in Q1 2026.
Mike Andriole, Chief Executive Officer of Artios Pharma, said: “This Series D accelerates our potential path to registration for both alnodesertib and ART6043, broadening development for the next generation of DNA damage response (DDR) therapeutics to indications among the highest of unmet need across pancreatic, colorectal and breast cancers, where median survival is often measured in months.
“As we address these indications and prepare for others, I would like to thank our existing investors, led by SV Health, for their ongoing support, and also our new investors, RA Capital Management and Janus Henderson Investors, for joining our mission to bring these potential medicines to patients as quickly as possible.”
Investors who supported the Series D round include Andera Partners, Avidity Partners, EQT Life Sciences, Invus, IP Group plc, Janus Henderson Investors, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, Omega Funds, Pfizer Ventures, Piper Heartland, RA Capital Management, Sofinnova Partners, Schroders Capital, and SV Health Investors.
