Cambridge, UK: ViaNautis, (formerly Somaserve) has successfully raised a $25 million Series A funding round. The funding round was led by 4BIO Capital, BGF and UCB Ventures with the additional participation of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Eli Lilly and Company. Existing investors also participated in the round including Origin Capital, Meltwind and o2h Ventures.
The acquired funds will be utilized for the development of the groundbreaking platform PolyNaut, in addition to the management and scientific team and advanced laboratory spaces. The company has developed a proprietary technology that represents a significant leap forward in the development of genetic medicines, particularly for challenging unmet medical needs in areas such as brain diseases and Cystic Fibrosis.
o2h Ventures initially invested in ViaNautis (formerly Somaserve) in 2019 as one of its early backers. o2h Ventures has continued support with follow-on funding in 2022 has been supportive in driving the company’s pioneering technology towards commercial success.
Sunil Shah, CEO of o2h Ventures, said: “We are very excited with the potential of this therapeutic platform, Fran and her team have done an amazing job of both commercial outreach and bringing on blue-chip biotech investors. We are happy to have invested in this round and will continue to be supportive where possible.”
Dr Francesca Crawford, CEO of ViaNautis, said: “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. We are also proud to be working with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on one of our key pipeline programmes, underscoring our commitment to advancing treatments for people with cystic fibrosis and other unmet clinical needs. This fundraise marks a pivotal moment in ViaNautis’s journey and we look forward to advancing the field of gene therapy, while creating substantial value for our shareholders..”
About ViaNautis
ViaNautis, formerly known as SomaServe, was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from UCL under the leadership of CEO and serial entrepreneur, Dr Francesca Crawford. The company’s core mission is to exploit the unique capabilities of the revolutionary polyNaut® technology.
PolyNaut® is a versatile nano-engineered polymer technology designed for targeted intracellular delivery. This innovative technology enables polymer nanoparticles to deliver a wide range of payloads from small molecules to genetic materials creating ‘a bionic nanoparticle.’ The highly adaptable polymer structure of polyNaut® can be formulated to encapsulate a wide array of genetic cargoes, with sizes exceeding current standards for viral and non-viral delivery. Notably, it enhances the therapeutic efficacy of encapsulated molecules through direct delivery to the cell cytoplasm, facilitated by GOTO® technology for intracellular shuttling.
PolyNaut® is set apart from conventional non-viral delivery technologies through its remarkable ability to target specific cells and penetrate biological barriers, including the challenging blood-brain barrier. PolyNaut® nanoparticles, when functionalised for CNS delivery through transcytosis, exhibit exceptional brain uptake.
Deploying its state-of-the-art polyNaut® platform, ViaNautis is at the forefront of pioneering new therapies for CNS diseases and cystic fibrosis. The company is actively building an internal pipeline and collaborating with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to unlock the potential of promising genetic molecules as well as new therapeutic platforms.
For more information, connect with us on Linkedin and visit www.vianautis.com.
About o2h Ventures
The o2h Ventures ‘Human Health’ SEIS and KI EIS funds make tax-efficient investments in Pre-Seed and seed-stage companies that address human disease: we fund the development of novel therapeutic treatments; we help build new services and tools offerings throughout the biotech ecosystem, and we spur the creation of software & artificial intelligence that will change healthcare.
The o2h team are leaders in the biotech community and have been actively involved as investors, holding various board/industry positions as well as being engaged in grassroots scientific activity for over 20 years. o2h Ventures operates from their proprietary 2.7 acre Mill SciTech Park where they are developing a unique model for incubating small life science companies.
For more information or to invest in the fund, please visit www.o2hventures.com
Media Contact:
Juhi Shah
Marketing Manager
