Leukos Biotech

leukosbiotech.com ↗ ·Barcelona ·Seed

Leukos Biotech is a Barcelona-based biopharmaceutical company spun out of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in 2015, developing first-in-class drugs that target cancer stem cells in acute myeloid leukaemia and solid tumours. Its lead asset LB-208 (now AOP208), a first-in-class serotonin 1b receptor (HTR1B) antagonist licensed to Austria's AOP Health, entered the SERONCO-1 phase 1 trial at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology in January 2025 (NCT06795412); an earlier apomorphine-based candidate, LK-01, received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for AML. The company raised a €3.5M first round led by Inveready in 2016 and is a small preclinical/clinical-stage team.

Founded

2015

Founders

Total funds raised

€3.5M

SectorsBiotech, Pharmaceuticals, Oncology, Drug Discovery, Life Sciences Start-up MapHealthtech & Bio › Drug discovery & therapeutics developers

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Founders

Ruth M. Risueño

Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

Global models 5

Stemcentrx

United States · www.stemcentrx.com ↗

Venture-backed biotech built on drugs aimed at cancer stem cells, planning to license or sell its assets to big pharma; AbbVie bought it for up to $9.8B.

$400M+Comparable

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

United States · www.oncomed.com ↗

First-in-class antibodies against cancer stem cell pathways, with value earned through licensing deals with large pharma, the same asset-licensing model as Leukos's AOP Health deal.

$190MComparable

Forty Seven

United States · www.fortyseveninc.com ↗

Academic spin-out targeting leukaemia stem cells in AML and MDS through a first-in-class mechanism (CD47), moved into the clinic and exited to Gilead.

$150M+Comparable

Kura Oncology

United States · kuraoncology.com ↗

Clinical-stage developer of first-in-class small molecules for AML (menin inhibition), taking novel-target oncology assets through early trials much as Leukos does.

$90M+Comparable