Enterome secures $19 million funding to advance lymphoma immunotherapy
French clinical-stage biotechnology company Enterome SA has raised US$19 million in private financing to advance its lead OncoMimics™ immunotherapy candidate EO2463 for treating indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with particular focus on patients in the “watch-and-wait” category who currently lack approved treatment options.
The funding round was led by new investor The Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI), a global non-profit foundation, which contributed $9 million. Existing shareholders, including SymBiosis, Seventure Partners, Lundbeckfonden BioCapital, Primo Capital, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program (LLS TAP), provided an additional $10 million.
Clinical development programme advances
The proceeds will support the ongoing Phase 1/2 SIDNEY clinical trial of EO2463 and prepare the candidate for a potential registrational trial. The 12-month open-label study is evaluating safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and pre-
liminary efficacy in approximately 55 patients with follicular lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma across three cohorts.
Pierre Bélichard, Enterome’s chief executive officer, highlighted the clinical progress: “We currently are generating exciting clinical proof of concept data for EO2463 monotherapy in several iNHL patient populations included in the Phase 1/2 SIDNEY clinical trial. Most importantly, EO2463 has shown robust clinical efficacy and exceptional safety and tolerability – which is especially impressive for such a potent immunotherapy.”
Regulatory pathway established
Enterome recently disclosed positive meetings with both the FDA (Type C meeting) and EMA (Scientific Advice), establishing a clear regulatory pathway for marketing authorisations in “watch-and-wait” iNHL patients. This population repre-
sents a significant unmet medical need, as these patients are generally not eligible for other treatments due to unfavourable risk-benefit ratios.
The company presented interim data from the SIDNEY trial at the American Society of Hematology conference in December 2024, demonstrating encouraging responses in the “watch-and-wait” cohort. Additional data was due to be presented at the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma in Lugano on 21 June, focusing on combination therapy results in relapsed and refractory patients.
Novel mechanism of action
EO2463 represents an innovative approach to cancer immunotherapy, combining four synthetic OncoMimics peptides that correspond to CD8 HLA-A2 epitopes mimicking B lymphocyte-specific lineage markers CD20, CD22, CD37, and CD268 (BAFF receptor), plus a helper peptide (CD4+ epitope).
The OncoMimics platform was inspired by the microbial origin of certain autoimmune diseases. The company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify microbial proteins that closely mimic cancer antigens. Unlike conventional cancer antigens, OncoMimics bypass thymic deletion, enabling the immune system to mount targeted responses against cancer cells whilst maintaining favourable tolerability profiles.
Michel Azoulay, chief medical officer at IFLI, emphasised the therapeutic potential: “EO2463 represents a novel class of synthetic, off-the-shelf immunotherapeutics with a unique mechanism of action that selectively targets malignant B cells.”
Broader pipeline development
Beyond EO2463, Enterome’s wholly-owned OncoMimics pipeline includes EO4010 for third-line colorectal cancer and EO2401 for glioblastoma and adrenal tumours. All three clinical-stage candidates have demonstrated positive early clinical efficacy with exceptional safety profiles, positioning the company to address multiple oncology indications with its proprietary immunotherapeutic platform.
