Funding and New Facilities set to Accelerate Research

Belgian company BCI Pharma, a developer of kinase inhibitor libraries has received €1.9M ($2.2M) in public funding from the Walloon region. The company also received €2M ($2.5M) from public-private investors.

The funds will be used to accelerate and finalise BCI Pharma’s research projects in the fields of cancer, neuropathic pain, inflammation and neuro-inflammation. As a first step, the company created a Belgian holding company and during last September opened a laboratory at the University Hospital of Liège.

The public subsidy was awarded as part of the funding program of the Operational General Directorate for the Economy, Employment and Research (DG06). BCI Pharma succeeded in attracting a total of five Belgian investors.

The investment and the subsidy will also enable BCI Pharma to initiate proof-of-concept studies and to work towards licensing first in-class or best-in-class pre-clinical candidates for new therapeutic approaches, including neuropathic pain, inflammation, neuro-inflammation and immuno-oncology.

“We are delighted with this public funding and the investment we have received, proving that our kinase libraries have great potential,” said Dominique Surleraux, CEO of BCI Pharma. “We were able to attract investors from both the Flemish and Walloon parts of Belgium. We believe that our research can contribute to significant improvements in the treatment of neuropathic pain, inflammation and neuro-inflammation as well as certain cancer types. In addition to this, our new lab is located at the center of the Liège’ hospital where it can benefit from the expertise of well-known scientists and clinicians and a number of technology platforms in the field of genomics, imaging.”

“Meusinvest is delighted to include BCI Pharma in its portfolio. With its great science, located in the hospital’s centre, everything is in place to boost BCI Pharma’s science, clinical outcomes and business revenues,” said Benoit Fellin, Meusinvest member.

“The private investors, brought together by and co-investing with TheClubDeal, are very positive about supporting BCI’s goals in finding innovative and improved treatment for major diseases,” said Jean-Marc Legrand, CEO of TheClubDeal.

The markets for neuropathic pain, inflammation and neuro-inflammation are expected to reach $8.3 billion (€6.8bn) by 2024.