Kinaset Therapeutics Launches with a $40M Series A Financing to Develop Novel Therapeutics for Respiratory Diseases and an Exclusive Global License Agreement with Vectura Group for KN-002 (VR588), a Novel Anti-Inflammatory
Kinaset Therapeutics, Inc. (“Kinaset” or the “Company”), a newly-founded biopharmaceutical company, today announced a $40 million Series A financing with a blue-chip investor syndicate of 5AM Ventures, Atlas Venture, and Gimv. The Company also announced an exclusive global in-license and services agreement with Vectura Group plc (LSE: VEC) (“Vectura”) to develop and commercialize KN-002 (formerly known as VR588), a novel, inhaled small-molecule pan-JAK inhibitor, for the treatment of eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic severe asthma. A Phase 1/1b clinical trial in healthy volunteers and patients is poised to begin in the first half of 2021.
Kinaset is led by an experienced management team and Board of Directors with strong backgrounds in the development of respiratory therapeutics. The company is led by Chief Executive Officer Robert Clarke (formerly Pulmatrix, AIR/Alkermes), Chief Business Officer Roger Heerman (GlaxoSmithKline, Vectura), and Chief Development Officer Frazer Morgan (Vectura, 3M), each of whom has over 20 years of experience in the industry. Thomas B. King (Alexza, Vivus), Chairman of the Board, is joined on the Kinaset Board of Directors by founding investors Jamil Beg (5AM), Kevin Bitterman (Atlas), and Bram Vanparys (Gimv).
Kinaset is responsible for the overall development and commercialization of KN-002, with Vectura providing formulation development expertise and manufacturing of clinical trial supplies. The Company will pay Vectura fees for development services, certain regulatory and commercial milestones, and future royalties on global net sales in return for the license.
“I am excited to be part of Kinaset Therapeutics and their plans to deliver a next-generation therapeutic for the severe asthma population. The highly experienced management team and board coupled with the exclusive global license from Vectura provide a great springboard for the launch of Kinaset,” said Thomas B. King. He added “Vectura’s profile as a world-class CDMO with multiple approved inhaled therapeutics make them a trusted partner as we move KN-002 to our upcoming clinical trial.”
Robert Clarke, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, and a co-founder of Kinaset Therapeutics, commented on the company and the KN-002 program, “Our goal is to build Kinaset into a leading respiratory therapeutics company focused on patients starting with KN-002. Severe asthmatics continue to suffer from the limited availability of safe and effective treatment options. We believe that our inhaled pan-JAK inhibitor, KN-002, has the potential to be a best-in-class therapeutic for this population. In addition, KN-002 could be a less-invasive and more cost-effective alternative to currently approved parenteral biologicals used in the treatment of severe asthma.”
Jamil M. Beg, Partner at 5AM Ventures and Director at Kinaset, commented, “The field of respiratory drug development has made incredible strides over recent years. Biologics have validated immunomodulatory approaches and advanced the standard of care for patients. However, there remains a significant need and burden on patients, especially in the severe asthma population. We see KN-002 as having transformational potential for patients and are excited to support a dedicated team at Kinaset that is building the next leading respiratory disease company.”
Unmet Clinical Needs
Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease affecting over 300 million people worldwide, with approximately 10% of patients having severe asthma1,2. Subjects with severe uncontrolled asthma suffer from frequent exacerbations, compromised lung function, and a reduced quality of life1-3. This group is associated with a disproportionate number of asthma-related hospitalizations and accounts for approximately 50% of asthma-related costs.4,5
Multiple inflammatory pathways are implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma6-8. Eosinophilic asthma, characterized by elevated levels of blood eosinophils and fractional exhaled nitric oxide8, accounts for about two-thirds of patients with severe asthma8. Conversely, a large proportion of subjects do not exhibit an eosinophilic profile and suffer from an inadequate response to parenteral biologicals and oral corticosteroids resulting in a loss of asthma control1-3. Therefore, additional therapeutics to support these non-eosinophilic patients represent a significant need in asthma control.
About Kinaset Therapeutics, Inc.
At Kinaset Therapeutics, we intend to develop novel therapeutics that can positively impact people affected by intractable diseases, including severe asthma. Our novel lead asset and experienced team combine a potentially best in class approach to treating severe asthma with a group of dedicated drug development experts working to bring the therapy forward. More information can be found at www.kinasettherapeutics.com.
About Vectura
Vectura is a provider of innovative inhaled drug delivery services that enable partners to bring their medicines to patients. With differentiated proprietary technology and pharmaceutical development expertise, Vectura is one of the few companies globally with the device, formulation, and development capabilities to deliver a broad range of complex inhaled therapeutics.
For further information, please visit Vectura's website at www.vectura.com.
References:
1 Kupczyk M, Wenzel S. J Intern Med 2012;272:121–32.
2 Wenzel S. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005; 172; 149–60.
3 Chung KF, Wenzel SE, Brozek JL, et al. Eur Respir J 2014; 43: 343–73.
4 Price D, Fletcher M, van der Molen T. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med 2014; 12; 24: 14009.
5 World Allergy Organization (WAO). (https://www.worldallergy.org/educational_programs/world_allergy_forum/anaheim2005/blaiss.php [Last accessed: September 2020])
6 Godar M, Blanchetot C, de Haard H, et al. MAbs. 2018; 10 (1): 34–45.
7 Peters MC, Mekonnen ZK, Yuan S, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014; 133: 388–94.
8 Fahy JV. Nat Rev Immunol. 2015; 15: 57-65.
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/20201130005274/en/
Contact information
Roger Heerman – Chief Business Officer
info@kinasettx.com
+1 508-858-5810
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
EIG Acquires a 49.87% Stake in Transportadora de Gas del Perú (TgP)19.12.2025 19:42:00 EET | Press release
EIG, through its managed investment vehicles, acquired a 49.87% equity stake in Transportadora de Gas del Perú S.A. (“TgP”) from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board today. TgP operates Peru’s principal natural gas and natural gas liquids pipelines under a long-term concession, supplying approximately 40% of the country’s power generation. “We are delighted to complete this transaction and embark on the next chapter of our partnership with TgP,” said Matt Hartman, EIG’s Global Head of Infrastructure. “Our priority is to support TgP’s operational excellence and long-term stability, delivering value for customers and stakeholders throughout Peru.” About EIG EIG is a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors with $24.3 billion assets under management as of September 30, 2025. EIG specializes in private investments in energy and energy-related infrastructure on a global basis. During its 43-year history, EIG has committed over $51.7 billion to the energ
CyberArk Named a Leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Integrated Solutions for Identity Security 202519.12.2025 18:00:00 EET | Press release
CyberArk (NASDAQ: CYBR), the global leader in identity security, today announced that it has been recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Integrated Solutions for Identity Security 2025 Vendor Assessment. CyberArk extends dynamic privilege controls across all identity types with its unified platform, enabling organizations to improve efficiencies and streamline security operations. This IDC MarketScape report notes, “More change has occurred in the identity security marketplace in the past two years than in almost a decade. Vendors are entering a new phase defined by the emergence of intelligence technologies, none of which are specifically defined by any industry standards. Though different by design, the new adjacent IAM offerings are largely focused on improved vulnerability and threat management visibility and automated and predictive attack detection capabilities.” It also notes, “By addressing these evolving identity types within a unified framework, CyberArk enh
New York Liberty and Ant International’s Alipay+ Announce Multiyear Partnership Focused on Empowerment, Sustainability and Youth Development19.12.2025 15:30:00 EET | Press release
The New York Liberty and Ant International’s Alipay+, a leading cross-border fintech services platform based in Singapore, today announced a multiyear partnership, making Alipay+ an Official Sponsor and Innovation Partner for Sustainability of the New York Liberty. Through this partnership, Alipay+ and the Liberty will jointly support community programs designed to advance community empowerment, environmental sustainability and youth development across New York City. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219678825/en/ Peng Yang, CEO, Ant International and Clara Wu Tsai, Vice Chair, Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment; Governor, New York Liberty “Our partnership with Alipay+ goes beyond the game,” said Keia Clarke, Chief Executive Officer, New York Liberty. “Together, we are investing in the future of New York—its people, its environment, and its youth. Ant International’s commitment to community empowerment, sustai
Parse Biosciences and Codebreaker Labs Partner to Apply Whole Transcriptome Single Cell Profiling and Causal Genomics at Scale19.12.2025 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Parse Biosciences, the leading provider of scalable and accessible single cell sequencing solutions, today announced a collaboration with Codebreaker Labs to develop and validate a breakthrough platform capable of testing thousands of genetic variants in parallel and measuring their effects at single cell resolution. By combining Codebreaker’s synthetic biology platform and variant engineering capabilities with the scale and accessibility of Parse’s Evercode™ technology, the collaboration aims to generate the causal data increasingly sought by AI developers, drug discovery teams, and clinical researchers. Today’s genomic studies rely heavily on observational data, or variants that appear in large populations. But rare and private variants, often only seen in one individual or family, are nearly impossible to study this way because too few carriers of the variant exist to draw statistically meaningful conclusions. As a result, even the most advanced models trained on observational datas
Cyviz Awarded Two Classified NATO Defense Contracts19.12.2025 09:00:00 EET | Press release
Norwegian technology and platform company Cyviz AS has been awarded two classified defense contracts by major European NATO-partner nations to deliver a fully mobile, containerised Command & Control (C2) capability, strengthening Europe’s operational readiness in high-threat and expeditionary environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251218625485/en/ Image from a previous military exercise where Cyviz demonstrated a mobile command center solution. The contracts cover the design, integration, and delivery of secure, deployable operations centres engineered to NATO security standards, enabling military and security forces to establish full theatre-class command capability wherever operations require. Due to the sensitive nature of the missions, contract value and customer identities remain undisclosed. From Demonstrated Readiness to Operational Deployment The awards follow growing interest among European def
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