Beactica Therapeutics AB, a Swedish precision medicine company, announced that it, together with leading glioblastoma researchers at KU Leuven, has been awarded a EUR 2.5 million grant by the European Innovation Council (EIC) to advance a precision immune therapy for glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumour which currently lacks effective treatment.

In the project GLIOBREAK, Beactica and KU Leuven are joining forces to advance BEA-17, Beactica's wholly owned, first-in-class degrader of the epigenetic protein complex LSD1–CoREST, together with a biomarker-driven companion diagnostic developed based on research carried out by Professor Frederik De Smet and colleagues at KU Leuven. GLIOBREAK aims to progress this integrated therapeutic-diagnostic approach from a validated laboratory stage to early clinical readiness, positioning the programme at the forefront of immuno-epigenetic therapies for glioblastoma. The 30-month GLIOBREAK project builds on results from the ongoing EU-financed project GLIOMATCH and will be led and coordinated by Beactica. The project is targeting the completion of IND-enabling studies and submission of a regulatory application to either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA), positioning BEA-17 for first-in-human clinical trials.

EIC Transition is a Horizon Europe grant scheme that funds activities to mature and validate technology while in parallel developing business and market readiness. Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million are available, covering 100% of the project costs. The funding is non-dilutive to the company's shareholders. Beactica and KU Leuven's proposal was one of only 40 selected for financing out of a total of 611 proposals submitted in the most competitive EIC Transition calls ever.

"We are delighted to receive this prestigious EIC Transition award together with our eminent collaborators at KU Leuven. It is a significant validation of our immuno-epigenetic approach to glioblastoma, a disease with devastating outcomes where patients urgently need new therapeutic options. The partnership with KU Leuven and the recognition from the European Innovation Council position BEA-17 at the forefront of precision medicine," said Beactica's CEO, Dr. Per Källblad. "This funding enables us to complete our IND-enabling studies and move toward first-in-human trials, bringing this first-in-class LSD1-CoREST degrader closer to patients."