Villeneuve d’Ascq, France – May 22, 2025
New cancer treatments: Hemerion Secures €6.5 Million, Sets Sights on Next Fundraising Push
Hemerion successfully closed a Series A funding round totaling over €6.5 million in the first quarter of 2025. This new round follows initial funding stages in 2022 and 2023, which amounted to €5.5 million, bringing the total amount raised by Hemerion since its inception in late 2020 to over €14 million.
Hemerion’s successful funding round combines complementary financing sources: several investment funds and business angels, over 260 private investors brought together through a European crowdfunding campaign, and two public funding grants.
Balanced Financing Securing Clinical Development
Investment funds, already involved in the healthtech company’s initial financing, contributed €2.5 million. This new contribution reaffirms their interest and confidence in Hemerion’s clinical and industrial project:
- The CapTech Santé fund, an investor specializing in healthcare and highly active in innovative medical devices, contributed €1.5 million.
- The Nord France Amorçage and Fira Nord-Est 2 funds (Finovam Gestion) contributed €1 million.
The equity crowdfunding operation conducted with the Capital Cell platform raised nearly €0.8 million from 265 private investors, who now form a broad and solid shareholder base. The success of this operation demonstrated Hemerion’s ability to convince a wide audience of its technology’s relevance and the quality of its value proposition. Several business angels also participated in the round, contributing a total of €735,000.
The funding round also includes two public grants, supported by the Hauts-de-France Region:
- The European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) contributed €1.5 million.
- BPI (French Public Investment Bank), in collaboration with the Lille European Metropolis, awarded a €1 million innovation grant.
Preparing Market Access for a First-in-Class Innovation in Brain Cancer Treatment
This new funding round will finance the preparation of the pivotal clinical study required for the market launch of Hemerion’s technology for treating glioblastoma, the most common brain cancer.
With this first indication, Hemerion aims for market entry in Europe and the United States by 2030, with a potential revenue of over €100 million by 2032.
A portion of the funding is also allocated to the company’s R&D program, which is notably exploring the adaptation of Hemerion’s technology to other types of cancer.
Hemerion is already working on its next fundraising round, intended to finance the upcoming market access stages, estimated at €35 million.
“This funding is obviously a great success for our team, but it’s just one step. We are currently working on financing our next clinical studies, with the goal of raising €35 million to bring the first innovation in surgical brain cancer treatment in over 20 years to market by 2030!“
Maximilien Vermandel
Chief Executive Officer, Hemerion
“This new funding round secures the preparation for our next clinical study, which is crucial for market access. It puts us in a favorable position to welcome new financial partners for our upcoming fundraising.“
Michel Andraud
Chief Financial Officer, Hemerion
“Certification, clinical development, international expansion: Hemerion has consistently exceeded our expectations since the company’s creation. Two years after our initial investment, it was natural to renew our support and confidence in this team, which is spearheading a major innovation eagerly awaited by patients and healthcare providers.“
Eric Bernos
Investment Director, Captech Santé Nutrition
“In four years, Hemerion has developed true leadership potential in the international oncology market. The clinical, regulatory, and industrial foundations are solid, and we are convinced of this team’s ability to quickly bring a first-in-class innovation to the American and European markets.“
Hélène Cannard
Member of the Management Board, Finovam Gestion
About Hemerion Therapeutics
Hemerion was founded in 2020 with the goal of developing innovative therapeutic solutions for cancer. The technology developed by Hemerion combines a drug (Pentalafen®) and an innovative illumination platform (Heliance®).
It is particularly promising for treating glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain cancer, for which Hemerion has an active clinical program with very promising results in terms of safety and efficacy.
Follow Hemerion on LinkedIn: LinkedIn: Hemerion Therapeutics
About the Pentalafen®/Heliance® Combination Thrapy
This therapy combines a photosensitizing drug (Pentalafen®) with an illumination platform (Heliance®). It aims to eliminate residual tumor cells after surgical resection to minimize the risk of recurrence.
- Before the surgery, Pentalafen® is administered to the patient as an oral solution. Within a few hours, the components of Pentalafen® accumulate in cancer cells but not in healthy cells.
- Immediately after removing the tumor, in the operating room, the surgeon uses Heliance® to deliver a very specific light that activates the components accumulated in the cancer cells, causing their destruction. Cancer cells are destroyed wherever the light penetrates, deep within the tissues.
Used in the operating room immediately after tumor resection, it could redefine the standard of care for several types of cancer and potentially avoid the need for radiotherapy.
The initial clinical development aims to improve the treatment of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain cancer.