OXFORD, United Kingdom, October 15, 2026
OMass Therapeutics announced an oversubscribed $310 million (£230 million) Series C financing round to advance its small-molecule drug development programs in endocrinology and immunology. The financing was co-led by new investors Bain Capital Life Sciences, Forbion and Novo Holdings, with participation from additional new and existing investors. Proceeds will support the advancement of OMS1620, an investigational melanocortin-2 (MC2) receptor antagonist, through Phase 2 development for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. The funding will also support OMass’ earlier-stage pipeline, including the generation of initial clinical data for a potential first-in-class SLC15A4 inhibitor targeting lupus and other diseases associated with interferon overproduction and pathogenic B-cell activation. The company said the investment will enable it to advance its internally discovered programs toward clinical evaluation and expand its portfolio of potential therapies for diseases with significant unmet medical needs. As part of the financing, Evan Greif of Bain Capital Life Sciences and Audrey Cacaly of Forbion will join the company’s Board of Directors, while Max Klement of Novo Holdings and Ali Jazayeri of SV Health Investors will serve as Board observers.
OMS1620 Advances in Endocrine Disease Development
OMass plans to use a substantial portion of the financing to advance OMS1620, its lead program, through Phase 2 clinical development. The investigational therapy is a potential best-in-class antagonist of the MC2 receptor, which is involved in the body’s response to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The candidate is being developed for congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a group of disorders that can affect adrenal hormone production, as well as ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. According to OMass, OMS1620 has been designed to increase receptor residency time and maintain activity as endogenous ACTH levels rise. In CAH, the company believes this mechanism could help more patients achieve androgen normalization while receiving physiologic doses of glucocorticoids. The Series C funding is intended to support further clinical development and evaluation of the candidate’s therapeutic potential. OMass Chief Executive Officer Ros Deegan said the investment comes as the company advances OMS1620 into clinical development and prepares its SLC15A4 inhibitor to follow. The company’s stated objective is to translate its discovery capabilities into a portfolio of differentiated medicines across endocrinology and immunology.
SLC15A4 Program Expands Immunology Pipeline
In a recent publication in Science Advances, Immunocore and the University of Florida reported findings from experiments using live human pancreas tissue slices, including tissue from a donor with recent-onset type 1 diabetes. According to the company, IMC-S118AI selectively bound to HLA-A*02:01-positive beta cells and suppressed autoreactive T-cell activity around pancreatic islets. The experiments also indicated potential protection of beta cells and preservation of insulin secretion. These observations provide preclinical support for the candidate’s tissue-targeted mechanism, but they do not establish that the treatment will be safe or effective in patients. The Phase 1 trial will assess safety, pharmacokinetics and clinical activity as doses are escalated. Immunocore’s Executive Vice President of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mohammed Dar, said the company intends to extend its modular bispecific platform into autoimmune diseases after development in oncology and initial proof of concept in infectious disease indications. The company’s objective is to evaluate whether tissue-targeted immune modulation can protect insulin-producing beta cells and help preserve insulin secretion in people with T1D. The results of the clinical study will be needed to determine whether the preclinical findings translate into a useful therapeutic approach.
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Immunocore Expands Its Autoimmune Development Pipeline
The initiation of the IMC-S118AI Phase 1 trial marks Immunocore’s expansion into tissue-specific autoimmune therapies. The company is also advancing a second ImmTAAI candidate for inflammatory dermatological diseases. Its broader ImmTAX platform, or Immune Mobilizing Monoclonal TCRs Against X Disease, supports the development of T-cell receptor bispecific immunotherapies across oncology, infectious diseases and autoimmune conditions. Immunocore’s most advanced oncology therapy, KIMMTRAK, is approved for eligible HLA-A*02:01-positive adults with unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma in the United States, European Union, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company says its pipeline includes nine active clinical and preclinical programs across its therapeutic areas. With the first patient now dosed, IMC-S118AI enters clinical testing to establish an initial understanding of its safety, pharmacokinetic properties and activity in patients with T1D. Further development will depend on the evidence generated through clinical evaluation. The program’s central objective is to investigate whether selectively modulating immune responses at pancreatic beta cells can help preserve insulin production while limiting unwanted effects beyond the targeted tissue.
Source::: OMass Therapeutics ,press release
