Dutch Biotech Citryll Secures €85M Funding from J&J and Novartis for Inflammatory Disease Therapy

Funding:
Citryll, a Dutch biotech company, has raised €85 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., Forbion, and Novartis Venture Fund13.

Therapy Focus:
The funding will support the clinical development of CIT-013, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), which are implicated in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases3.

Clinical Trials:
Phase 2a trials are planned for CIT-013 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) to establish its dual mechanism of action, which enhances the clearance of existing NETs and inhibits the formation of new NETs3.

Investor Support:
The funding round also included participation from Pureos Bioventures, BioGeneration Ventures, Seventure Partners, BOM, Curie Capital, and Citryll’s founders, highlighting strong investor support for the company’s novel approach3.

Board Additions:
Following the funding, Geert-Jan Mulder from Forbion, Florian Muellershausen from Novartis Venture Fund, and a representative of JJDC will join Citryll’s Board as non-executive directors3.

Sources:

1. https://endpts.com/dutch-biotech-citryll-nabs-e85m-to-position-inflammatory-antibody-for-a-pharma-buyer/

3. https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/citryll-raises-eur-85-million-series-b-to-advance-novel-net-targeting-therapy-for-immune-mediated-inflammatory-disorders