Edinburgh-based Resolution Therapeutics Limited announced it has raised £63.5 million in Series B financing round led by investment firm Syncona Ltd.

Resolution is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on “unlocking the regenerative potential of macrophage therapy for the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.”

The financing will help advance Resolution’s lead asset RTX001, an engineered, pro-regenerative macrophage therapy with first-in-class potential for end-stage liver disease, into the Phase I/II EMERALD study.

Alongside the financing, Resolution also announced the appointment of Paul Sekhri as chair.

Resolution is a spinout from Professor Stuart Forbes’s lab at the University of Edinburgh, and is based at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Edinburgh, and in London.

“As we prepare to advance RTX001, our lead investigational macrophage therapy with first-in-class potential for the treatment of end-stage liver disease, into the clinic this year, we are grateful for Syncona’s continued support,” said Resolution CEO Amir Hefni.

“In addition, we are pleased to welcome Paul Sekhri to our Board of Directors. Paul brings a wealth of experience leading top-tier companies to develop breakthrough medicines, including novel treatments for patients with autoimmune disease.

“The team and I look forward to working with Paul to bring novel macrophage therapies, like RTX001, to patients in need.”

Hefni added: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would also like to thank Lisa Bright for her impactful contributions as Chair of Resolution over the last 4 years.

“Her vision and leadership have been instrumental in driving our strategic initiatives, fostering a culture of scientific excellence and getting Resolution to clinical stage. We wish her all the best.”

The proceeds from the Series B financing will be used to advance Resolution’s lead candidate, RTX001, an “autologous, engineered, pro-regenerative macrophage cell therapy specifically designed to deliver transformative outcomes in patients with end-stage liver disease.”

EMERALD, Resolution’s first-in-human Phase I/II clinical trial, will be conducted in the UK and Spain and is anticipated to initiate patient recruitment in Q4 of 2024.

Additional uses of the proceeds will include investment in the company’s manufacturing platform and expansion of its pipeline into other inflammatory and fibrotic indications “including graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) and lung fibrosis.”

“The data that Resolution has generated to date in this emerging area of medicine is encouraging and, in our view, demonstrates the potential that macrophages have in treating end-stage liver disease,” said said Edward Hodgkin, Managing Partner of Syncona Investment Management Limited and non-executive director of Resolution.

“This is a potential first-in-class product being developed for a disease where patients have no effective therapeutic options and typically face a liver transplant or further deterioration of their condition, which is often fatal.

“We are delighted to continue to support Resolution with our commitment to its Series B financing, in-line with Syncona’s focus on allocating capital to clinical-stage assets and assets approaching clinical entry.

“We are also very pleased to welcome to Resolution Paul Sekhri, who brings a demonstrable track record in supporting companies through the development cycle and will act as a valuable sounding board for the company’s growing executive team.”

Sekhri has over 35 years of experience in the life sciences industry, including leading business development and strategy in major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, where he has a successful track record in partnering, M&A and financing.

Currently, Sekhri is president and chief executive officer of vTv Therapeutics, Inc. Before that, he served as president and chief executive officer of eGenesis, Inc. and Lycera Corp. Prior to that, he held positions at Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., TPG Biotech, Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Novartis AG.

Sekhri said: “I am delighted to join Resolution at such an exciting time as it prepares to enter the clinic with RTX001 and expand pipeline efforts into new indications where significant unmet patient need exists. I look forward to collaborating with Amir, the entire Resolution team and supporting the company as it expands its leadership in macrophage therapy.”