Biopharmaceutical seeks to raise $15M to develop cancer therapy for pets

Photo: Tatyana Gladskih/Adobe Stock

CureLab Veterinary Inc, a biopharmaceutical company that develops cancer treatments for pets, announced a Regulation D fundraising offering to develop its gene therapy, ElenaVet, which enhances the body’s anticancer immune response and reduces chronic inflammation. The offering is being carried out in compliance with Rule 506(c) of Regulation D, which was issued under the amended Securities Act of 1933.¹

Under Regulation D, the company will be able to raise an unlimited amount of funds. However, the offering is exclusively open to accredited investors, per Rule 506(c).^1,2 CureLab aims to raise up to $15 million from the offering.

Funds from the offering will be used with the goal of securing conditional market authorization from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for ElenaVet, as well as to establish a USDA-certified DNA/RNA manufacturing facility and reach profitability. According to CureLab, it is striving to attain profitability in 4 years.¹

About ElenaVet

According to a news release, the therapy has looked promising in early clinical studies, showing signs of effective treatment of several canine and feline cancers, including mammary tumors and melanoma.¹ It has also shown potential for treating chronic inflammatory conditions in pets, such as osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, renal disease progression, and metabolic syndrome.¹

The treatment is a therapeutic plasmid, otherwise known as supercoiled circular DNA, that has the gene-encoding protein p62/SQSTM1 inserted into it. Upon injection into a patient, the product enters cells at the injection site and in the bone marrow, triggering those cells to generate the p62 protein, which produces a range of physiological effects, including decreased proinflammatory mediators through a change and decrease in the tumor microenvironment.³ Additionally, ElenaVet lowers chronic inflammation by reducing proinflammatory cytokines while raising anti-inflammatory ones.

“ElenaVet reduces chronic inflammation systemically because it can “rejuvenate” mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). When a body is young, MSCs secrete mostly anti-inflammatory signals. When the body is old, MSCs secretome becomes predominantly pro-inflammatory,” reads the company’s website.³ “Also, in the bones of a young animal, MSCs differentiate into bone cells, osteoblasts, while in the old one, MSCs produce fat cells within the bone, adipocytes. ElenaVet turns the clock, making MSCs from an older animal act like they were from a young one.”

According to the Veterinary Cancer Society, cancer is the primary cause of death in dogs past middle age, with 25% of canines estimated to receive a cancer diagnosis.⁴ Meanwhile, cancer was found to be the leading cause of death in 32% of cats.⁵

"At CureLab Veterinary, our mission is to help pets live longer, healthier, and happier lives," Robert Devlin, DVM, president at CureLab Veterinary, said in a news release.¹ "We believe that every pet deserves access to affordable and effective healthcare, and we are dedicated to developing innovative solutions that make a real difference in the lives of pets and their families. With ElenaVet, we are one step closer to achieving our goal of providing cutting-edge cancer treatments for our beloved companions."

References

1. CureLab Veterinary announces $15 million Regulation D offering to advance cancer and inflammatory disease treatments for pets. News release. CureLab Veterinary Inc. September 19, 2024. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/curelab-veterinary-announces-15-million-regulation-d-offering-to-advance-cancer-and-inflammatory-disease-treatments-for-pets-302253385.html
2. Private placements under Regulation D – investor bulletin. United States Securities Exchange Commission. August 17, 2022. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.sec.gov/resources-for-investors/investor-alerts-bulletins/private-placements-under-regulation-d-investor-bulletin
3. CureLab Veterinary Inc. offering platform. CureLab Veterinary Inc. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://invest.curelabveterinary.com
4. Pet owner resources. Veterinary Cancer Society. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://vetcancersociety.org/resources/pet-owners/pet-owner-resources/#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%2C%20however%2C%20that,in%20their%20life%2C%20develop%20cancer.
5. CureLab Pitch Deck. CureLab Veterinary Inc. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://invest.curelabveterinary.com/pdfs/CureLabVeterinaryInvestmentDeck.pdf