ChemiCare is an Italian SME that develops innovative therapies for rare and autoimmune disorders. The company, leveraging the expertise of co-founders Tracey Pirali in Medicinal Chemistry and Beatrice Riva in Pharmacology, has just completed a € 2.5 million financing round supported by CDP Venture Capital SGR S.p.A., through its Rilancio Fund and Piemonte Next Fund, established and managed by CDP Venture Capital and subscribed by the regional finance company FinPiemonte to maximise investments in innovation for the region, Bio4Dreams S.p.A., and Bridge4Pharma S.r.l.
With the resources obtained, the company aims at advancing its pipeline to clinical stage. The first objective of ChemiCare is to progress its drug candidate, CIC-39, to clinical phase over the next 18 months.
CIC-39 is under development for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) as first indication. DMD is a paediatric and progressive disease, leading to muscle degeneration and premature death, for which there is a highly unmet need for effective treatments.
Moreover, ChemiCare is also actively working on other indications, expanding the use of CIC-39 and other molecules from their platform in the field of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
CIC-39 is a negative modulator of Store-Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE), which has already shown promising preclinical evidence in reducing inflammation and fibrosis related to DMD, and other autoimmune-mediated processes. It is protected by a patent owned by UPO and licensed to ChemiCare and has received orphan drug designation from both the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration, providing an extended period of market exclusivity.
With the Seed investment round and the support of both existing and new strategic investors, ChemiCare will accelerate its drug development program toward first-in-human trials, attracting the interest of new investors and pharmaceutical partners.
“In the field of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, there are very few effective compounds. We are excited to see that our research on SOCE, has not only advanced our understanding of this mechanism but also laid a solid foundation for the development of a new potential therapy. It is incredibly rewarding to see years of dedicated work translating into real opportunities to address such a serious unmet medical need and potentially improve patients’ lives."
ChemiCare - Beatrice Riva Co-founder & CEO
“As a medicinal chemist, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. This project is an excellent example of how close collaboration between academia and industry can lead to breakthroughs with real potential to help patients. I firmly believe that our molecules can play a crucial role in treating challenging diseases, and I hope that CIC-39 will bring benefits - and eventually treatment - to patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy and autoimmune disorders. Seeing our research move from the lab bench toward clinical trials is both gratifying and motivating.”
ChemiCare - Tracey Pirali Co-founder & CTO
“We are particularly proud to have invested in ChemiCare, a company that we strongly believe will demonstrate how research can make a tangible and meaningful impact on improving the quality of life for many people. We firmly believe in the development of CIC-39 and hope that its use will prove to be a valid solution for the treatment of rare diseases. It is a great source of satisfaction for us to support this team, confident that the results achieved will continue to gain increasing recognition at an international level.”
CDP Venture Capital – Caterina Siclari, Head of Rilancio Fund
“ChemiCare has been part of the Bio4Dreams network for over three years, and we have believed in the project from the very beginning, investing and supporting the team with dedicated expertise and resources throughout its development and growth. We are pleased that today ChemiCare has attracted the interest of an institutional investor such as CDP Venture Capital. This marks the beginning of a new and promising phase that we are proud to embark on together.”
Bio4Dreams - Elisabetta Borello, Co-Founder, VP Strategy & External Relations
“We are proud to support ChemiCare in progressing their technology and programs. We believe that the strong scientific rationale and the solid database generated by ChemiCare represent robust foundations for the development of new therapeutic agents addressing highly unmet medical needs in the field of severe inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.”
Bridge4Pharma – Maurizio Franco Mariani and Daniela Chicco, Co-founders
“Finpiemonte’s investment in ChemiCare through the Piemonte Next Fund confirms the value of the synergy between private capital and public instruments in supporting research-intensive startups. Finpiemonte supports these companies from the earliest stages by combining investments with measures that foster company formation, internationalization, and research, such as the SWIch call implemented in collaboration with the University of Turin. This model strengthens technology transfer and enhances Piedmont’s competitiveness in the life sciences sector.”
Finpiemonte - Mario Alparone, Director