CellCentric secures funding to move oral epigenetic inhibitor into relapsed myeloma trials
This article covers CellCentric, a biotech startup, completing an oversubscribed £162.3m ($220m) Series D growth funding round to advance its oral p300/CBP inhibitor inobrodib into registration‑enabling trials for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The financing funds ongoing Phase 2 DOMMINO‑1 work in the UK and US and the planned global Phase 3 DOMMINO‑2, supporting late‑stage clinical development of an oral option for heavily pretreated patients.
CellCentric has completed an oversubscribed £162.3m ($220m) growth funding round (Series D) to push its oral p300/CBP inhibitor, inobrodib, into registration‑enabling trials for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The capital will bankroll ongoing Phase 2 DOMMINO‑1 work in the UK and US, and the planned global Phase 3 DOMMINO‑2 due to start in the second half of 2026 — a step that could reshape later‑line treatment options if the trials confirm earlier signals of activity.
Why it matters
Multiple myeloma remains a hard‑to‑treat blood cancer when patients relapse after advanced therapies such as anti‑BCMA approaches and bispecific T‑cell engagers. CellCentric’s financing directly targets that gap: it funds late‑stage studies intended to establish safety and efficacy for an oral therapy that could be given without intensive clinic monitoring.
Regulatory momentum also matters. Inobrodib has received Fast Track and orphan drug designations from the FDA for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, which can accelerate review if pivotal data are positive. For clinicians and patients, a convenient oral option that works in combination or as maintenance would change care pathways currently dominated by injectables and cell therapies.
Inside the product
Inobrodib is a first‑in‑class, orally bioavailable inhibitor of the p300/CBP family of epigenetic regulators. CellCentric says the drug has been evaluated in more than 500 patients across haematologic malignancies and some solid tumours. The company is developing inobrodib both as an all‑oral triplet with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (InoPd) and in combinations with bispecific antibodies.
Data presented at ASH in December 2025 from Phase 2 dose optimisation showed that 20 mg inobrodib plus standard doses of pomalidomide and dexamethasone produced at least a two‑fold improvement in response rates versus historical comparators in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients (median five prior lines of therapy). CellCentric is also exploring inobrodib with bispecifics such as elranatamab and teclistamab, both of which are BCMA‑directed bispecific therapies used to recruit T cells against myeloma cells; these combinations aim to deepen responses or extend durability.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners and included participation from Fidelity Management & Research Company, Sofinnova Partners, HBM Healthcare, and existing backers RA Capital Management, Forbion, Pfizer, Avego BioScience Capital and the American Cancer Society BrightEdge initiative. CellCentric described the financing as oversubscribed, signalling broad institutional appetite.
The syndicate mixes specialist life‑science investors (Venrock, Sofinnova, HBM, RA Capital) with a strategic corporate investor (Pfizer) and philanthropic capital directed at oncology (American Cancer Society BrightEdge). That combination is typical for late‑stage biotech rounds aimed at funding pivotal trials and potential regulatory filings.
In the announcement, Ken Greenberg, M.D., Partner at Venrock, said:
What stands out with inobrodib is the consistency of clinical activity alongside a manageable safety profile in a heavily pretreated population. An oral drug with a novel, additive approach could play an important role in later-line therapy, as well as across the treatment landscape in multiple myeloma. We are excited to support its advancement into pivotal studies.
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Founder perspective
CellCentric’s chief executive framed the raise as validation of the programme and a way to complete registration‑enabling studies for the oral triplet.
In the announcement, Will West, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at CellCentric, said:
We are thrilled to have the support of top-tier investors who believe in inobrodib’s potential to address a critical need in multiple myeloma, notably after bispecific T cell engager or anti-BCMA therapies. This is a significant and growing unmet need. Inobrodib is a new modality and a potential fresh option for patients that is orally administered. In combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone as InoPd, we have demonstrated deep responses in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients. Fueled by this funding, we are well positioned to complete registration enabling studies for the all-oral triplet and advance our progress toward delivering a transformative treatment.
The bigger picture
This raise sits within a broader pattern of large late‑stage financings for UK and transatlantic biotechs advancing oncology programmes into pivotal trials. Investors remain willing to back differentiated modalities — here an oral epigenetic inhibitor — where early clinical signals and combination strategies suggest a clear path to registrational endpoints.
The deal also underlines ongoing interest from biotech investors in therapies designed to address treatment gaps after cell therapy and bispecific agents. For the Cambridge‑to‑Boston biotech corridor, the transaction shows how transatlantic capital and strategic partners can be marshalled to fund the expensive transition from signal‑finding to registrational studies.
CellCentric’s raise will be watched closely by clinicians and investors alike as DOMMINO‑1 and DOMMINO‑2 enrol; positive pivotal data could influence how oral regimens are used alongside or after advanced immunotherapies.
The outcome will have implications beyond a single company: successful late‑stage development in the UK and EU remains contingent on sustained private capital, strong clinical networks and regulatory alignment with the US. This funding round underscores the continued flow of such resources into European biotech programmes tackling high‑unmet‑need cancers.
They've invested in CellCentric
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| Investor | Sector | Stage | Activity | Team | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 Fidelity Management & Research Company | 4 investments investments | more info | |||
 Sofinnova Partners | 13 investments investments | 25 contacts contacts | |||
 RA Capital Management | 5 investments investments | 7 contacts contacts | |||
 Forbion | 16 investments investments | more info | |||
 Avego BioScience Capital | 1 investment investment | more info |
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