BiPar snags $20M for inhibitor-based cancer therapies

Pharmaceutical firm BiPar Sciences just brought in $20 million in private equity and venture debt to advance its lead therapy, targeting breast cancer, to phase-three clinical trials. The investment will double the Brisbane, Calif.-based company’s cash on hand, a huge vote of confidence for its treatment methods based on inhibitors that kill cancer cells by preventing them from repairing their own DNA, BiPar says.

Its lead compound, currently in phase-two tests, could also be used to treat ovarian cancer and other malignancies. It has two other drugs in the works, including a pancreatic cancer treatment that could be taken orally.

BiPar’s investors include Domain Associates, Canaan Partners, Vulcan Capital, PolyTechnos Venture Partners, Asset Management Company and Quantum Technology Partners. The debt financing came from Lighthouse Capital Partners.

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About the Author, Camille Ricketts

Camille is the lead writer for GreenBeat. She came to VentureBeat from Google where she worked on its traditional platforms team, particularly in TV. Before that, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York and London. Follow her on Twitter at @camillericketts, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

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