Louisville, Kentucky – August 21st, 2013 – Rock Spring Ventures has increased its investment in Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc., an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing a novel pipeline of anti-inflammatory products through a combination of in-licensing of preclinical compounds and in-house research and development.
Apellis aims to bring a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs to the market to address major diseases by exploring novel mechanisms to modify these diseases by inhibiting complement activation. Apellis currently has two programs centered on the use of APL-1 in extra-ocular indications. APL-1 is a derivative of the cyclic peptide Compstatin, discovered at the University of Pennsylvania. APL-1 is a small cyclic peptide that binds to human complement factor C3 and prevents its activation, resulting in broad and potent complement activation inhibition. APL-1 is also known as POT-4, originally developed by Potentia Pharmaceuticals.
As an important component of its long-term strategy, Apellis also engages in and catalyses the development of broad-ranging technologies such as drug delivery systems and diagnostic tools through collaborations and grant-funded programs.