David Luther

Mission Therapeutics

Mission Therapeutics is a private, drug discovery and development company focused on selectively targeting deubiquitylating enzymes to treat diseases of high unmet need. Mission has built a world-leading platform for the discovery and development of first-in-class, small-molecule drugs that selectively target deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) – an emerging, and hitherto intractable, drug class that is attracting significant commercial interest as the potential ‘Next Kinase Area'. Mission's DUB platform is yielding a rich pipeline of novel therapeutics for the benefit of patients across therapeutic areas. Mission's strategy is to create value by advancing its pipeline programmes through early clinical development, and preferentially with a patient selection strategy to enhance the probability of demonstrating early signs of efficacy. Mission's leadership team has a wealth of international, commercial and scientific experience, and the company has strong links with key academic and research centers including Cancer Research UK Laboratories and the Jackson Laboratories at the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge. The Company has to date received £87 million in venture capital from a blue chip syndicate comprising institutional and corporate investors and was awarded a £1.9 million grant from Innovate UK in September 2015. In February 2016, the Company raised £60 million in a Series C financing led by Imperial Innovations and new investor Woodford Patient Capital Trust. It included follow-on investment from existing shareholders Sofinnova Partners, SR One, Roche Venture Fund and Pfizer Venture Investments. Mission is based at the Babraham Research Campus, south of Cambridge.