Shilpa Medicare Unit Invests Euro 7 Million in Brain Cancer Drug Developer Gate2Brain
New Delhi: Shilpa Biocare Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shilpa Medicare Limited, has announced a strategic equity partnership with Barcelona-based biotechnology firm Gate2Brain to advance the development of G2B-002, a novel brain cancer therapy candidate.
Under the agreement, Shilpa Biocare will acquire a 30.4% equity stake in Gate2Brain through an overall contribution of Euro 7 million, comprising Euro 0.5 million as cash infusion, Euro 5.5 million in equity for services, and Euro 1 million towards project development.
Gate2Brain is focused on developing peptide-based delivery systems capable of transporting therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for the treatment of central nervous system diseases.
As part of the collaboration, Shilpa will serve as a strategic shareholder and integrated chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC), manufacturing, and regulatory partner for G2B-002, the lead oncology program of Gate2Brain.
G2B-002 has received Orphan Drug Designation from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The therapy is being developed for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and pediatric glioblastoma (pGBM), two aggressive childhood brain cancers with limited treatment options.
The candidate utilizes Gate2Brain’s proprietary MiniAp4 peptide shuttle platform to transport SN-38, a potent anticancer agent, across the BBB directly to brain tumors. According to the company, preclinical studies demonstrated up to 100-fold higher brain drug transport compared to conventional approaches in animal models.
The platform has also shown preclinical activity in other rare pediatric cancers, including Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and neuroblastoma, indicating broader therapeutic potential beyond brain tumors.
Clinical batches of G2B-002 are expected to be produced next year, while first-in-human clinical trials are anticipated to commence by FY28.
Commenting on the collaboration, Vishnukant Bhutada, Managing Director of Shilpa Medicare Ltd, said, “Gate2Brain’s blood-brain-barrier technology is among the most differentiated CNS-delivery platforms we have evaluated. Becoming a strategic shareholder allows Shilpa to participate in long-term value creation while contributing the manufacturing and regulatory depth required to bring G2B-002 to first-in-human studies and extend its application to other molecules and therapy categories.”
Meritxell Teixidó Turà, CEO of Gate2Brain, stated, “This partnership gives G2B-002 a clear, de-risked path to the clinic and validates our peptide-shuttle platform with a top-tier oncology partner.”
The company noted that this marks Shilpa’s fourth strategic equity partnership focused on differentiated innovation and high-potential therapeutic assets
