64 million in fresh capital for cardiac medicine from Cardior underlines Hannover's excellence as a startup and research location

The spin-off from Hannover Medical School (MHH) has now raised 64 million euros in fresh capital for the clinical validation of its active ingredient - one of the largest biotech financing rounds in Germany this year! Biotech research can take years, is often difficult to find investors and migrates away from Germany - not so in Hanover: hannoverimpuls GmbH has supported Cardior's cutting-edge research from the very beginning.

Chronic heart failure, the inability of the heart to pump enough blood around the body, is, together with other cardiovascular diseases, by far the most common cause of death worldwide. Until now, heart failure has only been treatable to a limited extent. The microRNA approach, developed byProf.Thumanof the MHH, could bring a breakthrough for millions of patients. Together with Dr.Claudia Ulbrich, he has founded Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH to implement this new therapeutic approach for the treatment of heart failure. An initial clinical trial with 28 heart patients demonstrated the safety and tolerability of theRNA activeingredient. In addition, initial positive effects on the restoration of heart function were observed. This is due to the fact that the active ingredient intervenes in the communication between the heart muscle cells and thus positively influences their growth in size and contractility.

Cardior is not working with messenger RNA(mRNA), as the Covid vaccine developers are, but with non-coding microRNA(ncRNA). The key difference: these do not code for proteins, but have important functions in the regulation of gene activity in cells. The drug developed by Cardior attaches itself to the cell's own ncRNA molecules, thereby reducing their function and thus the main causes of many cardiac insufficiencies. This active ingredient thus combats the cause of the disease and differs significantly from existing, mainly symptomatic therapies.

Cardior will use the funds from this financing round primarily for the further validation of the compound in a Phase 2 clinical trial and the development of further product candidates in its extensive pipeline. The great success of this round therefore also increasingly underlines the growing interest of financial investors in Cardior's RNA-based research: "This is an important milestone for us in bringing the product to patients. Translation, i.e. the translation of basic research into practical therapeutic approaches for people, takes a long time and requires a lot of venture capital, which is almost impossible to raise in the university sector," explains Thomas Thum. He is the scientific head of the company and is considered one of the world's leading experts in the research of RNA molecules and their role in cardiovascular diseases. In addition to his role at Cardior, Thum teaches as a professor at the MHH and Imperial College in London. Since the beginning of the year, he has also headed the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine together with Norbert Krug. Thespin-off of Cardior from the MHH in 2016 wasa logical step in order to bring years of basic research into therapeutic application - and underlines the research and development excellence at the Hannover site.

Hannover's business development agency, hannoverimpuls GmbH, has supported the development of the former start-up from the very beginning. From support with the in-licensing of technologies to networking and consulting, right through to mediation in the search for the new company location, the science park in Marienwerder, where Cardior will move in at the end of 2021. "The development of Cardior shows the strength of Hannover as a medical location and the close networking of the partners. This is the only way we can bring such cutting-edge research into practical medicine and keep it here. It also shows that good ideas and bright minds ensure that venture capital does not only flow to locations such as Berlin and Munich," says Doris Petersen, Managing Director of hannoverimpuls, delighted with the start-up's latest success on the market.

Health economist Dr. Claudia Ulbrich, CEO of Cardior, founded the company together with Prof. Thomas Thum. Five years after its foundation, the company is already aiming for clinical phase 2 for its lead product candidate. The main aim of this study is to confirm the mode of action of the microRNA-based drug in patients with heart failure: "We believe that non-coding RNAs can fundamentally change the treatment of heart disease by preventing and even repairing tissue damage." The potential for the company's microRNA-focused therapy concept is huge: more than 60 million people suffer from heart failure, with two to three million more patients every year. Cardior is also developing approaches for genetic forms of heart failure, such as dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The Hanover-based biotech company's role models include the US companies Ionis and Alnylam, which have already brought similar active ingredients based on small RNA segments through the approval process in recent years, albeit in completely different therapeutic areas. The Hanover-based company Cardior is a global leader in the field of microRNA and cardiology.

About Cardior

Cardior Pharmaceuticals is one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies pioneering the identification and clinical development of RNA-based therapeutics for heart disease. Cardior's innovative platform utilizes specific non-coding RNAs that directly target the various causes of cardiac dysfunction, thereby preventing, inhibiting and reversing cardiac tissue damage. The company's goal is to sustainably improve the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease worldwide through a paradigm shift and to substantially expand treatment options for patients.

CDR132L from Cardior

CDR132L is a highly stable, water-soluble oligonucleotide ncRNA inhibitor designed to block aberrant microRNA-132 levels, thereby reversing cellular pathology and restoring normal cardiomyocyte function. This contributes to improved systemic and diastolic cardiac function in patients with heart failure. Phase 1b development has been completed for CDR132L. In the study with 28 patients, a favorable safety profile and initial positive effects on the heart have already been observed. Cardior is currently preparing a phase 2 clinical trial with the antisense molecule.

Cardior

Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH

Dr. Claudia Ulbrich

Feodor-Lynen-Str. 15

30625 Hanover

Tel: 0511 33 85 99 30