Incanthera debuts

Newco Incanthera Ltd. (Merseyside, U.K.) raised L375,000 ($574,000) in a seed round led by the North West Fund for Biomedical, which is managed by SPARK Impact. The University of Bradford spinout is developing ICT2588 to treat solid tumors. The compound is an inactivated form of colchicine -- an inhibitor of microtubule polymerization. The compound is activated via cleavage of a protein tail by matrix metalloproteinases, which are found in high concentration in solid tumors. Clinical testing is expected to begin by 4Q12. ...