University of Sussex and o2h Ventures announce creation and investment in Stingray Bio, a company for new oncology drugs targeting the LMTK3 kinase pathway

Investors in this round: o2h Ventures

o2h Ventures, a UK based fund manager through investment in its SEIS and EIS human health funds is excited to announce an investment into Stingray Bio Ltd, a new spin out from the University of Sussex supported by the Sussex Innovation Centre.

Stingray Bio is developing new novel small molecule inhibitors of the LMTK3 kinase signaling pathway to treat breast and other cancers. Stingray’s drug target rationale has been extensively validated by its founders, Professors Georgios Giamas and John Spencer of the University of Sussex.

Stingray Bio targets the neglected LMTK3 kinase signaling pathway: like many high-value treatments that target other cancer kinases, tool compound LMTK3 inhibitor drugs halt cancer growth and promote tumour regression in preclinical models. The investment will advance LMTK3 pathway modulation towards clinical application, creating valuable targeted medicines to expand treatment options for large numbers of cancer patients.

Sunil Shah, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of o2h Ventures, said: “We are delighted to be working with the University of Sussex and the founders to launch and grow Stingray Bio. We have been following the science for several years and we are now excited to support the commercialisation of the founder’s research to develop new drugs for cancer.”

Sue Baxter, Director of Innovation and Business Partnerships at the University of Sussex, said: “We are very excited to see Stingray Bio launch and attract new investment. Leveraging years of R&D support by the University of Sussex, the company demonstrates our commitment to translating ground-breaking research into valuable new businesses that will benefit the world and rebuild our regional economy.”

Peter Lane, Innovation Support Manager at Sussex Innovation, said: “It’s been tremendously rewarding to have worked closely with the University’s Innovation and Business Partnerships team and help broker this new relationship. Stingray Bio is a perfect example of the kind of enterprise we love to support, evolving a commercial model with the potential to deliver huge real-world impact from emerging research. We look forward to watching the rest of their journey as it develops from here.”

Georgios Giamas, Professor of Cancer Cell Signalling and Head of Department for Biochemistry and Biomedicine at the University of Sussex, said: “By founding and building Stingray Bio alongside my colleague Professor John Spencer, we have taken a critical next step towards exploiting our new discoveries in LMTK3 kinase signalling for the benefit of cancer patients.

“I look forward to supporting Stingray Bio as its Chief Scientific Advisor and Director, and anticipate the day when medicines targeting LMTK3 will be used to fight cancer and promote good health.”