LEUVEN, Belgium – 24 March 2025 – Augustine Therapeutics NV (“Augustine” or “the
Company”), a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapies for neuromuscular,
neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases through the inhibition of the cytosolic Histone
DeACetylase 6 (HDAC6) enzyme, today announced it has successfully completed its Series A
financing round raising a total of EUR 77.7 million (USD 84.8 million). The oversubscribed
financing was co-led by Novo Holdings and Jeito Capital, supported by existing investors Asabys
Partners, who led an initial EUR 17.5 million closing in 2024, Eli Lilly and Company, AdBio partners,
V-Bio Ventures, PMV, VIB, Gemma Frisius Fund, the US-based Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT)
Research Foundation and Newton Biocapital.
HDAC6 is involved in neurodegeneration and tissue aging-related cellular processes, and
pharmacologic inhibition of HDAC6 is a promising approach in a number of diseases. Augustine
Therapeutics have designed a unique next-generation approach to selectively inhibit HDAC6
while preserving its beneficial non-catalytic functions. This novel non-hydroxamate, non-
hydrazine producing approach seeks to avoid the limitations of previous HDAC6i and has
significant potential in CMT, the most common hereditary disorder of the peripheral nervous
system, affecting approximately three million people worldwide. With additional independent
and differentiated programs focused on brain-penetrant and peripheral-restricted molecules,
Augustine’s pipeline of HDAC6 inhibitors has further potential in multiple diseases, including
neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic disorders.
The Company’s scientific foundation originates from the ground-breaking research of Prof. Ludo
Van Den Bosch from the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, who identified
HDAC6 inhibition as a promising approach for the treatment of CMT and other neuropathies.
Augustine was initially formed and seed-funded by V-Bio Ventures, AdBio Partners, VIB, PMV,
and Gemma Frisius Fund. The Company recently appointed experienced biopharma leader
Gerhard Koenig, PhD, who had served as Executive Chairman since June 2024, to lead the
Company as CEO in January 2025.
The proceeds will be used to advance Augustine’s lead candidate, AGT-100216, through a Phase
I/II proof-of-concept clinical trial in CMT. Beyond AGT-100216, Augustine has two other programs
in discovery targeting peripherally-restricted and blood-brain barrier-penetrant HDAC6i for
undisclosed neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic indications.
Gerhard Koenig, PhD, CEO of Augustine said: “This significant financing is a testament to the
innovative medicinal chemistry that Augustine was founded on, which acts via a unique
mechanism of action. The therapeutic potential of HDAC6 is widely recognized in our industry,
but previous drug approaches have been sub-optimal, particularly for chronic diseases. At
Augustine, we believe we have solved these challenges with a novel non-hydroxamate, non-
hydrazide producing chemotype which is highly selective and avoids the typical limitations of
prior chemotypes, unlocking HDAC6 inhibition as a therapeutic approach. We now look forward
to rapidly advancing our lead candidate into clinical trials for the treatment of CMT, while
broadening the potential for our candidates to change treatment paradigms for neurological and
cardio-metabolic diseases. I would like to thank our new and existing investors for their
unwavering support as we continue to advance into clinical development.”
Emmanuelle Coutanceau, PhD, Partner, Seed Investments, Novo Holdings, commented: “Our
mapping of the HDAC6i landscape has made us confident that Augustine’s innovative and
rigorous approach to medicinal chemistry has yielded molecules with potential to be best-in
class. HDAC6 inhibition shows great promise in many indications, and we are enthused to start
our collaboration with Augustine’s top-tier management team. Additionally, Augustine will be
expanding its activities in Denmark, accessing a unique ecosystem and pool of talent which will
support the exploration of HDAC6i in cardio-metabolic diseases.”
Mehdi Ainouche, PharmD, Senior Principal, at Jeito Capital, said: “This investment illustrates
the potential of Augustine to bring exciting innovation in therapeutic areas where patients have
limited or no treatment options. We are delighted to co-lead this financing to realize Augustine’s
potential, which stands out for both the quality of its research and the expertise of Gerhard and
his team. We look forward to our future collaboration, which shares a common ambition: to
accelerate clinical development in order to bring these innovations to patients.”
Emmanuelle Coutanceau, PhD, Partner at Seed Investments, Novo Holdings, and Mehdi
Ainouche, PharmD, Senior Principal at Jeito Capital have joined Augustine Therapeutics’ Board of
Directors. Annette Clancy, Operational Investor at Jeito Capital, and Marie Schroeder, PhD, Vice
President at Seed Investments, Novo Holdings will join as Board Observers.
Media Contacts:
Augustine Therapeutics
Gerhard Koenig, CEO
E-mail: info@augustinetx.com
ICR Healthcare
Amber Fennell
E-mail: augustinetx@icrhealthcare.com
About Augustine Therapeutics
Augustine Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of neuromuscular,
neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases through its next-generation approach to
selectively inhibit HDAC6. Augustine’s HDAC6 inhibitors have been purposefully designed to
selectively inhibit HDAC6 while preserving its beneficial non-catalytic functions. Augustine’s lead
program, AGT-100216, is the first selective HDAC6 inhibitor for long-term treatment of Charcot
Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. With its novel non-hydroxamate, non-hydrazide producing
chemotype, Augustine’s HDAC6 approach is selective, avoids the limitations of other
chemotypes, and built for chronic diseases. With this novel approach, the Company will also be
targeting diseases beyond CMT, including neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases.
Augustine Therapeutics was founded on the ground-breaking research of Prof. Ludo Van Den
Bosch from the VIB-KU Leuven in Belgium. For more information visit www.augustinetx.com.
About Novo Holdings A/S
Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets
and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve
people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long
term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk
Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novonesis A/S
(Novozymes A/S) and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In
addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private
equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seed, Venture,
Growth, Asia, Planetary Health and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life
science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2023, Novo Holdings had total
assets of EUR 149 billion. www.novoholdings.dk.
About Jeito Capital
Jeito Capital is a global leading Private Equity fund with a patient benefit driven approach that
finances and accelerates the development and growth of ground-breaking medical innovation.
Jeito empowers and supports managers through its expert, integrated, multi-talented team and
through the investment of significant capital to ensure the growth of companies, building market
leaders in their respective therapeutic areas with accelerated patients’ access globally, especially
in Europe and the United States. Jeito Capital is based in Paris with a presence in Europe and the
United States. For more information, please visit www.jeito.life or follow us on LinkedIn or X,
