New chief executive joins Disco as seed round expands
German biotech Disco Pharmaceuticals has appointed Mark Manfredi as chief executive and closed a 36 million euro ($39 million) seed round to advance its surfaceome-targeted pipeline. The financing was co-led by Ackermans & van Haaren and NRW.Bank with backing from Sofinnova Partners, AbbVie Ventures, M Ventures and Panakes Partners.
Dr Manfredi replaces founder Roman Thomas, who becomes a strategic advisor. Funds will support multiple antibody-drug conjugate programs in small cell lung cancer and microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer as the company moves toward IND-enabling studies and broadens its pipeline.
The company’s new chief said its platform can identify unexplored cell-surface target pairs, which may enable a differentiated set of antibody-drug conjugates and T-cell engagers. Investors said Disco could become a leader in surfaceome-guided oncology.
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