Haptena Therapeutics Launches with €3 Million Funding to Target KRAS-Mutated Tumors

Haptena Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing innovative approaches to the treatment of tumors caused by specific oncogenes, announced that it has launched its operations and closed a €3 million seed financing round, entirely underwritten by Claris Ventures, an Italian venture capital firm specializing in early-stage biotech.

The investment will enable Haptena to advance the development of its research platform and advance its first program, focused on KRAS-mutated tumors, with the aim of improving long-term treatment options for patients who currently have limited therapeutic options.

Haptena Aims to Overcome Tumor Resistance and Expand Precision Oncology Options for KRAS Patients

Founded by Chiara Ambrogio (University of Turin) and Roberto Chiarle (Boston Children’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School; University of Turin) – pictured –, Haptena leverages deep expertise in cancer biology and the evolution of tumor resistance mechanisms to expand the therapeutic potential of precision oncology.

KRAS is the most prevalent oncogene in solid tumors, with mutations present in approximately 25% of adult cancers, including lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. Long considered untreatable by drugs, KRAS lacked any targeted therapies until 2021, when the approval of the first inhibitors brought initial clinical benefits and paved the way for further advances in the field. Haptena is developing an approach designed to strengthen the standard of care by targeting highly specific tumor vulnerabilities emerging in previously treated patients.

“Our goal is to provide more durable clinical responses for patients with KRAS-mutated tumors,” Ambrogio said in a statement. “Current therapies represent an important starting point, but resistance remains a significant barrier. By targeting the biological mechanisms that emerge as tumors adapt to KRAS blockade, we aim to significantly extend the impact of existing treatments.”

Claris Ventures’ funding will enable Haptena to advance its lead KRAS G12C program toward preclinical validation in non-small cell lung cancer, while also establishing a robust pipeline for applying its discovery approach to tumors with other oncogenic drivers. This will enable the development of a scalable pipeline capable of generating new therapeutic opportunities for patients whose tumors are evolving or developing resistance to current precision treatments.

“Haptena represents exactly the type of innovative scientific and therapeutic approach we intend to support,” said Pietro Puglisi, managing partner of Claris Ventures. “ We are thrilled to support such a high-profile scientific team, to do so in Turin, and to be able to announce it as the first investment of our recently launched second fund.”

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(Featured image by Marek Studzinski via Unsplash)

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