Lilly, UCB-Backed ViaNautis Scores $25M for Genetic Nanomedicines
13 Nov 2023
Gene Therapy
Pictured: Upward view of skyscrapers/iStock, alice-photo
ViaNautis Bio, previously known as SomaServe, has completed a $25 million Series A with some prominent names attached to the funding.
On Monday, the Cambridge, UK-based nanomedicine company announced that the Series A had groups such as 4BIO Capital, UCB Ventures (the Belgian pharma’s venture arm) and BGF at the head of the round. The round also saw funding from Eli Lilly, Origin Capital, Meltwind, O2H and the Cystic Fibrosis FoundationCystic Fibrosis Foundation. According to the announcement from ViaNautis, the cash will help the development of products using its polyNaut platform, bring on more hires in the company’s management teams and build out a laboratory.
ViaNautis describes the polyNaut platform as using advanced polymer materials and in silico screening to guide genetic molecules such as mRNA and siRNA to their primary targets. The company plans to apply this platform to make a drug to treat cystic fibrosis. ViaNautis already has a cystic fibrosis treatment known as VNS002 in its pipeline.
“This successful fundraise empowers us to expedite the deployment of our proprietary polyNaut technology, which offers unparalleled access to the brain and other tissues, presenting significant opportunities to address both CNS and lung diseases. We are delighted to welcome our new investors and appreciate the support of our existing shareholders,” ViaNautis CEO Francesca Crawford said in a statement.
SomaServe was spun out of labs at University College London in 2018 by its cofounders, including Crawford, Denis Cecchin and Giuseppe Battaglia, inventor of the polyNaut platform.
“As the cell and gene therapy field gains momentum, it is evident that safe and precise delivery remains a key bottleneck in developing new therapeutics. ViaNautis presents an excellent opportunity in the world of genetic therapies by enabling the delivery of cargoes to otherwise inaccessible sites of action in the body. The polyNaut® technology overcomes the limitations of other drug delivery methods and presents a unique pathway to developing a new generation of genetic medicines for patients with few or no other treatment options,” Owen Smith, partner at 4BIO Capital, said in a statement.
While the global biotech industry has struggled over the past year, some companies are still managing to attract investors to Series A funding rounds. Last week, Forward Therapeutics, a small molecule biotech developing therapies for inflammatory and chronic immunological disorders, secured $50 million in a Series A led by BVF Partners LP.
Tyler Patchen is a staff writer at BioSpace. You can reach him at tyler.patchen@biospace.com. Follow him on LinkedIn.
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