Aplagon Secures €7 Million to Advance Thrombo-Inflammatory Disease Treatments

Helsinki-based biopharmaceutical company Aplagon has raised €7 million in a new financing round aimed at advancing its clinical programs focused on thrombo-inflammatory diseases. The funding will be instrumental in completing ongoing clinical trials and initiating a new Phase 2a trial for peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI).

The financing round was led by Fåhraeus Startup and Growth AB (FSG) and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, with participation from prominent Finnish investors such as the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Innovestor, and the Gosta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. This diverse investor syndicate brings both financial resources and strategic expertise to support Aplagon’s development of its therapeutic APAC.

Aki Prihti, CEO of Aplagon, emphasized the significance of this investment, noting that it will allow the company to advance its current international clinical trials and begin testing APAC in new indications. “We have been making strong progress, and this financing enables us to complete the three international clinical trials we have been running with APAC, and to start a Phase 2a study in PAOD/CLTI,” said Prihti. The trials include efforts to address arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation failure, a critical issue for patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease, and to reduce major cardiovascular risks associated with CLTI.

Aplagon’s innovative approach is based on mimicking naturally occurring heparin proteoglycans, which target arterial injury sites and provide localized, long-lasting antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects. The therapeutic APAC, developed through research led by Prof. Riitta Lassila and her team at the Wihuri Research Institute in Helsinki, has shown promising initial results in clinical studies without raising safety concerns among the 40 participants who have received the treatment to date.

The newly secured funds will be used to support the upcoming Phase 2a clinical trial in Finland for patients with PAOD/CLTI and to complete three ongoing studies. These include a Phase I trial targeting AVF maturation failure, an intravenous Phase I trial in healthy participants, and a PET-imaging clinical trial involving zirconium-labeled APAC in both PAOD patients and healthy individuals. The results of these trials are expected in 2025 and 2026.

Johanna Asklin, General Partner at FSG, will join Aplagon’s board of directors, while FSG Partner Alexander Jondell will participate as an observer. Commenting on the potential impact of APAC, Asklin stated, “Thrombo-inflammation is a key underlying driver for many cardiovascular diseases. At FSG, we look for revolutionary innovations, and we found precisely that with Aplagon’s APAC approach.”

With a strategic focus on in-hospital applications, APAC can be administered either locally or through intravenous infusion. The ongoing development reflects Aplagon’s commitment to addressing critical unmet needs in vascular disease management, particularly for patients facing severe health outcomes such as limb amputation and dialysis failure.