Alentis Therapeutics: From academic discovery to a landmark global partnership with CSL – and raising US$366 million of VC funding along the way.

Alentis Therapeutics is developing novel treatments targeting claudin-1 in fibrosis and cancer. Its scientific foundations lie in the research of Professor Thomas Baumert and his teams at the University of Strasbourg and Inserm.

Building the company around the science

BaseLaunch worked closely with Thomas Baumert to help establish Alentis, combining early financing with hands-on company-building support. The aim was to help create a company capable of attracting the people, expertise and capital needed to translate scientific discovery into potential medicines.

And it succeeded: Alentis closed a Series A funding round in early 2019, co-led by Pureos Bioventures, BioMedPartners and BPI. Subsequent Series B, C and D rounds, with participation from Orbimed, Novo Holdings, RA Capital, Jeito, Frazier Life Sciences, Morningside and others, bring the total raised by the company to approximately US$366 million .

A landmark partnership with CSL – an industry partner of BaseLaunch

In October 2026, Alentis entered an exclusive global collaboration with CSL to advance lixudebart. The agreement includes US$355 million upfront, eligibility for up to US$1.2 billion in commercial milestones, and a 45% share of future global profits for Alentis. CSL will fund the agreed clinical programme, including a planned Phase 3 trial and studies in additional kidney and liver indications.
The partnership opens a new chapter for lixudebart, an investigational antibody that targets exposed claudin-1.

Already in Phase 2 development for ANCA-associated vasculitis with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, the programme will also be explored in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Building beyond a single programme

Today, Alentis is led by CEO Mark Pruzanski. Alongside lixudebart, the company is advancing two claudin-1-targeting antibody-drug conjugates, ALE.P02 and ALE.P03, both in Phase 1/2 clinical studies in solid tumours. This broader pipeline extends the original scientific insight into distinct therapeutic approaches for fibrosis and cancer.

For BaseLaunch, Alentis illustrates the lasting importance of early company building: helping scientists establish the foundations on which experienced teams, international investors and global industry partners can build.

The CSL collaboration is a major milestone in that journey—and an exciting step towards the ultimate goal of bringing new medicines to patients.