Spin of INGM, the National Institute of Molecular Genetics “Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi”, dedicated to the development of new anti-tumor immunotherapies based on the blockade of epigenetic signals that regulate the dominant immunosuppression in tumor tissues.
Bologna, September 21, 2022 – Utopia SIS, the investment company specializing in healthcare and biomedicine, promoted and participated by Fondazione Golinelli, Fondazione Sardegna, and Executive Vice President Antonio Falcone, has invested €2.5 million in T One Therapeutics, a spin-off of INGM, the National Institute of Molecular Genetics “Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi”, to support the early-stage preclinical development phase of the research.
At the core of the INGM research team are Beatrice Bodega, a molecular biologist and expert in epigenetics, and Sergio Abrignani, an immunologist with international experience in industrial research.
The central point of the discovery by T One Therapeutics is to have attributed for the first time a crucial function in the regulation of T lymphocyte activation to certain sequences of human DNA (LINE1), which were considered unimportant for years but were found by INGM researchers to be fundamental in inhibiting the functionality of T lymphocytes, immune system cells that are the main pharmacological target for tumor immunotherapy (a therapy that has revolutionized the field of anti-tumor treatments in the last 10 years).
In this operation too, the path taken by Utopia SIS and Medio Credito Centrale is confirmed, which will provide a guarantee on the investment.
“This fourth investment by Utopia is a great source of pride and satisfaction because we are contributing to the support and development of important research that is conducting a very interesting and scientifically impactful project.
Our country is rich in clinical excellence and research hubs that need to be financed to complete the development process, and the significant commitment of Medio Credito Centrale also on this occasion represents a strategic testimony for the sector,” commented Antonio Falcone, Executive Vice President of Utopia SIS.
“Thanks to this investment, we will be able to valorize our discovery by bringing it to a preclinical phase. It’s a very important step for a researcher like me who studies the molecular mechanisms of human cells, lymphocytes, and has the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills to serve human health,” highlighted Prof. Beatrice Bodega, head of the INGM research team.
“INGM sees in the birth of T-One Therapeutics the evolution of the institute’s scientific research in an avant-garde pre-industrial direction. The development of new RNA therapies to target immune cells infiltrating tumors is indeed a very competitive field, and this investment places INGM in a prominent position nationally and internationally.
For us, it’s a new key step towards preclinical research. We are very pleased to start this partnership with the Utopia Fund, with whom I am sure we will make a great development journey with T-One,” concluded Prof. Giorgio Barba Navaretti, president of INGM.
Utopia SIS in the operation was assisted by Lawyer Chiara Izis of the Lener Studio as legal advisor for the operation and by Giordano Calzoni who acted as financial advisor for the management of the guarantee with MCC.