Illinois-based COUR Pharma has closed a USD 50 million Series B financing round to advance CNP-103, its lead nanoparticle-based immune tolerance therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Of note, French giant Sanofi participted in the round alongside existing healthcare investors.
The round was co-led by existing investors Lumira Ventures and Roche Venture Fund, with new participation from Sanofi. Additional existing investors — Alpha Wave Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, Angelini Ventures, and T1D Fund: A Breakthrough T1D Venture — also participated. The company said proceeds will be directed toward the clinical advancement of CNP-103 in an active Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (NCT06783309) evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy in adolescents and adults aged 12–35 diagnosed with T1D within the last six months. No prior funding round details were disclosed in the announcement.
COUR's platform centers on biodegradable nanoparticles engineered to encapsulate disease-specific antigens. The particles are designed to mimic the anti-inflammatory properties of apoptotic cells, reprogramming upstream immune pathways to induce tolerance toward autoantigens driving a given disease. CNP-103 encapsulates four recombinant proteins believed to cover more than 95% of known antigens implicated in T1D-associated islet cell destruction. By inducing tolerance to these proteins, the approach is intended to halt further beta cell loss and preserve residual insulin production.
With the Series B capital concentrated on CNP-103, COUR said it is actively seeking partners for the clinical development of two additional pipeline candidates: CNP-104 in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and CNP-106 in myasthenia gravis. That decision reflects a resource-allocation strategy focused on generating Phase II data in T1D as the primary near-term value driver.