Cantoni Therapeutics secures financing to advance novel non-incretin obesity drug into IND enabling phase
- Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and angel investor join lead investor Libertatis Ergo Holding (LEH) in providing funding, with additional financial support from Brabant Startup Fund (BSF)
- Cantoni awarded validatioNN grant from Novo Nordisk to support disease-relevant translational research on NNMT, a novel target for cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity and its comorbidities
OSS, Netherlands, September 16, 2025 - Cantoni Therapeutics B.V. (‘Cantoni’), a biotech company spun out from Leiden University, developing best-in-class small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a promising target for cardiometabolic diseases, today announced the closing of additional financing to advance its lead asset into IND enabling phase for obesity and its comorbidities. In preclinical studies, Cantoni’s NNMT inhibitors have demonstrated an ability to reduce fat mass, without negatively impacting lean mass, and improve metabolic health through increased energy expenditure.
Furthermore, Cantoni was announced as winner of a Novo Nordisk validatioNN grant supporting translational research work on the mode of action of NNMT inhibition.
Annegret Van der Aa, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Cantoni, said: "This combined equity and loan financing, and the research grant from Novo Nordisk will help significantly as we progress towards our ultimate goal to validate NNMT as a novel target for obesity and its comorbidities in the clinic. This financial support is a strong validation of our approach, enabling us to start IND enabling studies."
Floris Hamel, Investment Manager at BOM, commented: "Cantoni’s NNMT inhibition mechanism of action is highly differentiated from the currently approved incretin-based therapies and has the potential to become a new treatment option for obesity and its comorbidities. With the team at Cantoni bringing long-standing experience in the discovery of small molecule inhibitors of NNMT and a successful track record in drug development, we are looking forward to the next milestones ahead."
Gerard Spanbroek, Managing Director at BSF, commented: "We believe Cantoni’s small molecule NNMT inhibitors could be a game changer for treatment of obesity and other indications. The experienced Cantoni team is already meeting milestones and is well on track to take their first NNMT inhibitor into the clinic, a first step to reaching patients.”
Rob Mayfield, Managing Director at LEH, said: "We welcome the new investors in Cantoni and are very pleased with the additional financial support provided by BSF to advance the NNMT program into IND-enabling phase. Furthermore, we highly value the support by Novo Nordisk, through the validatioNN grant, to further extend the translational research on NNMT as a novel target for cardiometabolic disease."
About Cantoni Therapeutics B.V.
Cantoni Therapeutics B.V. is dedicated to the discovery and development of small molecule inhibitors of NNMT, a metabolic enzyme highly expressed in metabolic tissues, including the liver, adipose tissue and muscle. NNMT is an attractive drug target for cardiometabolic disease where elevated NNMT levels are correlated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In diet-induced obese mice, Cantoni’s NNMT inhibitors induce a reduction in fat mass, without negatively impacting lean mass, and improved metabolic health through increased energy expenditure rather than reduced energy intake. Furthermore, targeting the metabolic enzyme also brings opportunities in other indications; a role for NNMT has been described in the development of chronic kidney disease as well as in cancer progression.
Cantoni was founded in December 2022 as a spinout from Leiden University by scientific founders Professor Nathaniel Martin and Dr. Matthijs van Haren, scientists with an impressive track-record in discovery and optimization of small molecule drug candidates, with initial funding provided by Libertatis Ergo Holding B.V. (LEH).
About Libertatis Ergo Holding (LEH)
LEH is an independent seed investor in life science and health companies, which creates, supports and invests in startup and spinout companies connected to the activities of Leiden University.
About Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM)
Entrepreneurship is the driver of innovation. From sustainable food sources to a healthy future, climate-neutral energy, and developing promising key technologies – the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) ensures that startups playing a role in these fields get off to a flying start and grow into scaleups, that the right facilities are always available to Brabant-based companies, and that companies that aspire to go global can actually do so. Every year BOM works with dozens of companies to create this impact. BOM is an executive body of the Province of Brabant and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease.
Contact:
info@cantonitx.nl
Annegret Van der Aa, CEO & Executive Director
+32 473 525 648
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