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British Patient Capital invests £7.5 million in biotechnology leader Nucleome Therapeutics

Press release 19 October 2022

British Patient Capital has invested £7.5 million in Nucleome Therapeutics, a biotechnology company uncovering novel ways to treat disease, as part of a £37.5 million Series A funding round.

This is British Patient Capital’s 10th investment via Future Fund: Breakthrough, a £375 million programme where British Patient Capital co-invests with private sector investors in innovative, R&D-intensive UK companies. The round was led by M Ventures alongside Johnson & Johnson Innovation-JJDC, Pfizer Ventures and Oxford Science Enterprises.

Founded in 2019 by leading experts in gene regulation from the University of Oxford, Nucleome is decoding the ‘dark genome’ of human DNA to uncover novel insights into disease and develop first-in-class medicines. The ‘dark genome’ holds more than 90% of disease-linked genetic variants whose value remains untapped, representing a significant opportunity for drug discovery and development. By mapping and validating disease pathways, Nucleome is able to discover and develop better and safer medications, with an initial focus on autoimmune diseases.

Since inception, Nucleome has taken great strides in creating world leading biotechnology that discovers and develops first in class precision medicine for autoimmune diseases. Nucleome has built a talented team of experts in drug discovery, and are now pioneering new drug discovery techniques. Through our Future Fund: Breakthrough programme, British Patient Capital is delighted to support another world-class business, born out of a leading UK university, as it aims to become a UK science superpower. Catherine Lewis La Torre CEO, British Patient Capital
The completion of this oversubscribed round with such a high-calibre group of global life science investors is a testament to the science, technology, strategy and world-class team behind Nucleome. We have made significant progress in decoding the genetics in the dark regions of the human genome and discovering the first wave of potential first-in-class autoimmune disease targets. The funds we have raised will help us advance the Company’s target and drug discovery programmes and fuel expansion of our dark genome atlas. Dr Danuta Jeziorska Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Nucleome

Further Information

Notes to editors

About British Patient Capital

British Patient Capital is the trading name of British Patient Capital Limited, a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of British Business Bank plc, the UK government’s economic development bank. It forms part of the British Business Bank plc’s commercial arm.

Its mission is to enable long-term investment in innovative firms led by ambitious entrepreneurs who want to build large scale businesses. Launched in June 2018, British Patient Capital has £2.5 billion to invest over 10 years in venture and venture growth capital to support high growth potential innovative UK businesses in accessing the long-term financing they require to scale up. Find out more at britishpatientcapital.co.uk.

British Business Bank plc and its subsidiary entities are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. They are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A complete legal structure chart for British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries can be found on the British Business Bank plc website.

British Patient Capital makes commitments and invests on its own behalf and on behalf of third-party investors whose investments British Patient Capital manages.

This investment from British Patient Capital does not amount to any endorsement or warranty from British Patient Capital, the British Business Bank plc, or the government of the UK.

About Nucleome Therapeutics

Nucleome Therapeutics is decoding the dark matter of the human genome to uncover novel ways to treat disease. The dark genome holds more than 90% of disease-linked genetic variants whose value remains untapped, representing a significant opportunity for drug discovery and development. The Company has the unique ability to link these variants to gene function and precisely map disease pathways. Nucleome’s cell type-specific platform creates high resolution 3D genome structure maps and enables variant functional validation at scale in primary cell types, enabling the discovery and development of novel, better and safer drugs. The initial focus of the company is on lymphocytes and related autoimmune disease. Nucleome’s ambition is to build a robust pipeline of drug assets, with corresponding biomarkers. Nucleome Therapeutics was founded by leading experts in gene regulation from the University of Oxford. For more information, please visit nucleome.com.

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