TreeFrog Therapeutics Secures €30 Million from EIB to Advance Parkinson’s Disease Cell Therapy

TreeFrog Therapeutics Secures €30 Million from EIB to Advance Parkinson’s Disease Cell Therapy

(IN BRIEF) TreeFrog Therapeutics has secured €30 million in financing from the European Investment Bank to advance its cell therapy program for Parkinson’s disease and support the development of its internal pipeline targeting diseases with high unmet needs. The funding, which benefits from the InvestEU program, will help TreeFrog bring its innovative 3D cell therapy to clinical trials and expand its regenerative medicine capabilities.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 28-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — TreeFrog Therapeutics, a French biotech company specializing in cell therapy, has secured €30 million in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB). This funding will help advance TreeFrog’s lead cell therapy program for Parkinson’s disease to the clinic, as well as support the development of their internal pipeline of cell therapies targeting diseases with significant unmet medical needs.

The financing consists of three tranches of €10 million each and is structured to include a mix of dilutive and venture debt financing. The initial €10 million will be available in the second quarter of 2025. The funding benefits from a guarantee under the European Commission’s InvestEU program, which aims to foster research, development, and innovation within the EU.

Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affects more than 10 million people globally, with prevalence having doubled over the last 25 years. This number is expected to double again by 2050. Current treatments only manage symptoms, leaving a significant gap in disease-modifying therapies. TreeFrog’s cell therapy, utilizing 3D microtissues developed from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), holds the potential to be a best-in-class treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The program is on track for its first-in-human trial in 2027.

Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the EIB, commented, “Regenerative medicine is becoming increasingly important as life expectancy rises and more diseases remain untreated. The EIB is eager to support young, innovative European companies, such as TreeFrog, which are focusing on advancing research and delivering new solutions in the healthcare sector.”

Jaime Arango, CFO of TreeFrog Therapeutics, stated, “We are thrilled to receive this support from the EIB, which enhances our financial stability and enables us to progress our Parkinson’s cell therapy to clinical trials while expanding our pipeline in other high-need disease areas.”

TreeFrog’s proprietary C-Stem™ technology platform has been key to attracting investment and partnerships. C-Stem addresses key challenges in producing high-quality cells at commercial scale by combining microfluidics and stem cell biology. The technology encapsulates iPSCs in alginate capsules, which protect and nourish the cells, allowing them to grow and self-organize. These cells are expanded in bioreactors and transformed into various cell types, forming 3D microtissues that integrate well after transplant and offer unique advantages in terms of quality and functionality.

Background information

About EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB), whose shareholders are the Member States of the European Union (EU), is the EU’s long-term financing institution. Across eight major priorities, we support investments in climate action and the environment, digital transition and technological innovation, security and defense, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world. In 2024, the EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing in support of more than 900 projects in Europe and worldwide. In France, the EIB Group signed over a hundred operations in 2024 for a total amount of €12.6 billion. Nearly 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as the creation of a healthier environment.

About TreeFrog Therapeutics

TreeFrog Therapeutics is a French-based regenerative medicine biotech set to unlock access to cell therapies for millions of patients. TreeFrog is unique in its approach to cell therapy development, bringing together biophysicists, cell biologists and bioproduction engineers to address the challenges of the industry – producing and differentiating cells of quality at unprecedented scale, cost-effectively. To succeed in their mission of Cell Therapy for all, TreeFrog operates a business model that includes its own therapeutic programs and partnerships with leading biotech and industry players. Since 2021, the company has raised $82 million to advance a pipeline of stem cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine.

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+352 4379 – 84303

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SOURCE: European Investment Bank