Kainova Closes $32 Million to Advance Cancer and Inflammation Therapies
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
The capital infusion enables Kainova to fast‑track two high‑potential therapeutics, potentially delivering differentiated treatments for cancer and inflammation while validating a novel GPCR discovery approach.
Key Takeaways
- •Raised CAD 32 million in Series B first close
- •Total venture funding now $90 million USD
- •Targets GPCRs with proprietary bioSens-All platform
- •DT-7012 entering Phase I/II solid tumor trial
- •DT-9046 moving toward pre‑IND for inflammation
Pulse Analysis
The G protein‑coupled receptor (GPCR) family remains one of the most tractable yet underexploited targets in modern drug discovery. Accounting for roughly one‑third of all approved medicines, GPCRs regulate cellular communication, immune responses, and metabolic pathways. In oncology, GPCR signaling influences tumor micro‑environment and immune cell infiltration, while in inflammatory disorders it drives cytokine release. Consequently, investors and pharmaceutical companies are intensifying efforts to develop next‑generation modulators that can achieve higher specificity and reduced side‑effects compared with traditional small‑molecule agonists or antagonists.
Kainova Therapeutics leverages its proprietary bioSens‑All technology to study GPCRs in their native, dynamic conformations, a capability it claims delivers clearer structural insight and more predictive drug candidates. The Montreal‑based firm’s lead asset, DT‑7012, is an antibody designed to modulate GPCR activity in advanced solid tumours and is currently in a combined Phase I/II trial in Australia. Parallelly, the oral candidate DT‑9046 targets inflammatory diseases and is advancing through pre‑IND studies, positioning Kainova to address two high‑unmet‑need markets with a single platform.
The CAD 32 million Series B close, led by Investissement Québec, brings Kainova’s total venture backing to roughly $90 million USD and underscores that capital is still flowing to differentiated biotech ventures despite a broader funding slowdown. By earmarking the proceeds for clinical acceleration and preclinical completion, the company aims to de‑risk its pipeline and attract larger partnership deals or exit opportunities. Successful validation of its GPCR‑centric approach could reshape therapeutic strategies across oncology and immunology, while also reinforcing Canada’s emerging reputation as a hub for innovative biopharma research.
Kainova closes $32 million to advance cancer and inflammation therapies
Montréal-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Kainova Therapeutics (formerly Domain Therapeutics) has secured $32 million CAD in the first close of its Series B round.
Kainova, which announced the financing today, plans to use this capital to expedite the development of its proposed cancer and inflammation therapies.
“This investment is a testament to our clear and defined strategy and the biological differentiation of our programs.”
Sean MacDonald,
Kainova
The company has been working to develop better treatments for cancer and inflammatory diseases that target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which Kainova CEO Sean MacDonald described to BetaKit as “one of the most important families of receptors in the human body.”
“These receptors control how cells communicate, including how immune cells behave in tumours, so understanding and modulating them can have a major impact on patient outcomes,” MacDonald added.
Kainova’s latest equity financing, which closed in February, was led by new investor Investissement Québec, with support from existing backers CTI Life Sciences Fund, Panacea Venture, 3B Future Health Fund, Seventure Partners, Viva BioInnovator, Turenne Capital, Schroders Capital, adMare BioInnovations, and Seido Capital.
“This investment is a testament to our clear and defined strategy, the biological differentiation of our programs and a clinical-stage pipeline of unique drug candidates leveraging a proven platform,” MacDonald argued.
MacDonald did not share Kainova’s valuation or ultimate Series B target. The round brings its total venture capital to $90 million USD, a figure that includes a $42-million USD Series A round from 2022. Kainova has secured nearly $100 million USD in non-dilutive funding to date.
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Kainova, which was founded in 2008, claims that it is uniquely positioned to lead the GPCR field. The company, which rebranded from Domain last month, studies GPCRs in their native, dynamic states using its proprietary bioSens-All technology, which the company says gives it “a clearer understanding” of GPCRs and helps it design drug candidates with stronger potential.
The biopharma firm’s lead candidate is an antibody therapy called DT-7012, which is currently undergoing a Phase I/II clinical trial in Australia to evaluate its safety, impact, and efficacy when treating adult patients with selected advanced solid tumours. Simultaneously, Kainova is developing an oral drug candidate named DT-9046 that is designed to treat inflammatory diseases and progressing through pre-IND studies—meaning initial studies before drugs proceed to clinical trials, an early step on the path to the US FDA approval.
This Series B capital will help the 49-person company advance DT-7012 and complete preclinical development of DT-9046 this year.
In a statement, MacDonald said this financing “is especially significant given the current challenging fundraising market,” and demonstrates “exceptional science is still rewarded.”
Feature image courtesy Pexels. Photo by Chokniti Khongchum.
The post Kainova closes $32 million to advance cancer and inflammation therapies first appeared on BetaKit.
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