ViaNautis’ $25m Series A raise highlights puts polyNaut platform on front foot
ViaNautis Bio has raised $25million in a Series A funding round which the nanomedicine company will deploy to advance its proprietary drug delivery platform polyNaut.
Formerly known as SomaServe, ViaNautis has secured support from a consortium of prominent global investors led by 4BIO Capital, BGF and UCB Ventures with additional participation from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Eli Lilly and Company and existing investors including Origin Capital, Meltwind and O2H.
The polyNaut platform applies advanced polymer materials and in silico screening to precisely guide genetic molecules such as pDNA, mRNA, siRNA and ASOs to their intended targets. The platform tackles the challenge of transporting genetic materials across biological barriers, with an initial focus on cystic fibrosis and central nervous system (CNS) diseases.
The company’s pipeline includes VNS002, supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, focusing on identifying optimal formulation candidates for targeted delivery to the conducting airways in the lungs.
Owen Smith, partner at 4BIO Capital, said: “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.”
Francesca Crawford, CEO of ViaNautis, which is based at Cadence on Unity Campus, 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.