Prokarium Announces $30 Million Financing to Deliver Lead Program into Clinic and Build Novel Therapeutic Platform
9.2.2023 15:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Prokarium, a biopharmaceutical company leading the oncology field of microbial immunotherapy, has raised $30 million in new funding. This follows Prokarium’s announcement of partnering with Ginkgo Bioworks to leverage its world-class Foundry and extensive Codebase to develop a bactofection platform technology.
“We are excited to advance our vision to create living cures,” said Kristen Albright, PharmD, Chief Executive Officer of Prokarium. “Proceeds of this financing will fund our lead oncology program entering clinical development this year and enable platform expansion for the delivery of novel therapeutic payloads, including RNA, via our proprietary bacteria. With Ginkgo’s partnership and their expertise in strain engineering and optimization we look forward to working towards unlocking a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics.”
Prokarium’s lead program has the potential to transform the treatment paradigm in bladder cancer, one of the costliest cancers to treat, in its efforts to become the new standard-of-care in a market that has seen little innovation in over 30 years and to offer advanced therapies an alternative to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Prokarium’s pipeline leverages evolutionary advantages of a proprietary strain of Salmonella and combines them with bespoke synthetic circuits to deliver diverse therapeutic cargo for difficult-to-treat cancers.
“We believe Prokarium is a truly differentiated company,” added Thomas Eldered, Executive Chairman, Flerie Invest. “The new funds and Prokarium’s partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks will accelerate the cutting-edge innovation essential to lead the advancements in the field of synthetic biology and immunotherapy for years to come.”
“Our partnership with Prokarium will utilize Ginkgo’s leading platform capabilities and services to pioneer technological developments that we believe will revolutionize the immuno-oncology field,” added Ena Cratsenburg, Chief Business Officer at Ginkgo Bioworks. “Ginkgo is excited to partner with Prokarium to work to build a versatile Salmonella-based bactofection platform capable of delivering targeted, localized RNA therapeutics.”
In addition to the financing, Prokarium has announced the addition of two scientific advisors, Professor Adrian Hayday, PhD and Sam Chang, MD, MBA. “We are thrilled to welcome Adrian and Sam as advisors as we transition into a clinical-stage company,” concluded Albright. “Adrian brings the deep immunology and immunotherapy expertise, and Sam possesses invaluable clinical experience being involved in numerous bladder cancer clinical trials.” Professor Hayday is the founding Chair of Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology at King’s College London and is currently Principal Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute. Sam currently serves as the Chief Surgical Officer at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.
About Prokarium
Prokarium is a biopharmaceutical company leading the oncology field of microbial immunotherapy with the vision to create living cures. The Company’s pipeline is designed to unlock a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics by re-engineering evolution into a synthetic biology platform. Prokarium’s lead program is focused on transforming the treatment paradigm in bladder cancer by orchestrating immune-driven, long-lasting antitumor effects. Prokarium is based in London, UK. For further information, visit www.prokarium.com.
About Flerie Invest
Flerie Invest is an active long-term global biotech and pharma investor based in Stockholm and London managing a portfolio of over 30 companies in Europe, Israel and the US. The focus is on enabling pioneering organisations operating in the drug development and services space to succeed by providing them with resources and expertise. The portfolio includes a wide range of areas including immuno- oncology, metabolic diseases and biologics development and manufacturing organisations which have the potential to make a significant impact in health and wellbeing. Flerie Invest was founded in 2011 by Thomas Eldered, who also co-founded and built Recipharm to be one of the world’s top five pharmaceutical contract manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.flerie.com.
About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo’s biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and concentricbyginkgo.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as Twitter (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGBW), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks and @ConcentricByGinkgo), or LinkedIn.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230209005006/en/
Contact information
PROKARIUM CONTACT:
Lisa Stone
lisa.stone@prokarium.com
GINKGO BIOWORKS CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
IQM Secures €50M Financing to Accelerate Global Growth30.3.2026 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
IQM Finland Oy, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”), today announced it has secured a €50 millionfinancing package from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260329996942/en/ IQM Radiance quantum computer is located in IQM's showroom in Espoo, Finland. This facility will support acceleration of IQM’s technology roadmap, fuel R&D, support entry into additional markets, and advance IQM’s leadership in quantum computing. This facility was secured prior to IQM’s recent announcement of plans to become the first publicly listed European quantum computing company through a merger with Real Asset Acquisition Corp (“RAAQ”). The facility lowers IQM’s overall cost of capital and improves the flexibility and diversity of its capital base. “The financing package comes at a pivotal time for IQM, as we build momen
Bureau Veritas and Trade Technologies Join Forces to Streamline Global Trade Operations30.3.2026 08:45:00 EEST | Press release
Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection, and Certification services (TIC), through its Swiss branch Government Services Division, is pleased to announce a strategic agreement with Trade Technologies, the leading provider of trade finance automation, connectivity and transaction management services. This collaboration is a significant step toward reducing the complexities of international trade operations, particularly in regions where regulatory and inspection controls remain stringent. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260329411683/en/ Addressing Critical Trade Finance Challenges The agreement comes at a pivotal time for global trade. Letters of Credit (LCs) continue to serve as essential instruments in international commerce, particularly across the Middle East and Africa, where counterparty risk, foreign exchange controls, sanctions exposure, and regulatory oversight face ongoing challenges. In
Consortium Led by Axelspace Selected for Japan’s Space Strategy Fund Project “Technology to Enhance Capability of Next Generation Earth Observation Satellites”30.3.2026 02:35:00 EEST | Press release
Axelspace Corporation, Meisei Electric Co., Ltd., ANA HOLDINGS INC., and JIJ Inc. are pleased to announce that their jointly proposed technology development project has been selected for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s Space Strategy Fund under the theme “Technology to Enhance Capability of Next Generation Earth Observation Satellites.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323044518/en/ Conceptual Diagram of the project. Under this Space Strategy Fund initiative, spectrometers will be newly developed and demonstrated in orbit. In the future, the project envisions the establishment of a satellite constellation capable of observations at different times of the day. Project Summary (Planned) Technology Development Theme: Technology to Enhance Capability of Next Generation Earth Observation Satellites Project Title: Source-Specific CO2 Emission and Uptake Monitoring through Satellite Constellation and Ai
Takeda’s Zasocitinib Delivered Rapid and Durable Skin Clearance in a Convenient Once-Daily Pill, Affirming Promise to Reshape Psoriasis Care28.3.2026 21:00:00 EET | Press release
Takeda(TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK)today announced new data from the two pivotal Phase 3studies of zasocitinib (TAK-279), a next-generation, highly selective oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PsO).1 Presented as a late-breaking abstract at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, these data show that convenient once-daily oral zasocitinib demonstrated rapid and durable skin clearance with a safety profile consistent with Phase 2b studies.1,2 “Our goal in psoriasis treatment is clear or almost clear skin, and previously this has been achieved primarily with injectable therapies,” said Melinda Gooderham, MSc, MD, FRCPC, dermatologist, SKiN Centre for Dermatology, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, principal investigator for the Latitude PsO studies and presenting author. “These efficacy and safety results show it’s possible for a once-daily pill to deliver rapid, lasting skin clearance, highlighting the potential of zasoc
Incyte Announces New Positive 54-Week Late-Breaking Data for Povorcitinib in Hidradenitis Suppurativa at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting28.3.2026 21:00:00 EET | Press release
Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) today announced 54-week data evaluating the safety and efficacy of povorcitinib (INCB54707), an oral small-molecule highly-selective JAK1 inhibitor, from the pivotal Phase 3 STOP-HS clinical trial program in adult patients (≥18 years) with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The late-breaking oral presentation of these data is taking place at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, being held March 27-31, 2026, in Denver (Session: S034 – Late-Breaking Research: Session 2. Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1:00-4:00 p.m. MT). “The 54-week results from the STOP-HS program deliver compelling, long-term evidence supporting the potential of povorcitinib for patients with moderate to severe HS,” said Pablo J. Cagnoni, M.D., President and Global Head of Research and Development, Incyte. “Across both studies, povorcitinib demonstrated substantial and durable improvements over time in key measures of treatment success and meaningful clinical ben
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom