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 * Home
 * About Us
   * Our Team
   * Scientific Advisors
   * Board of Directors
   * Join Our Team
   * Investors
 * PolyNaut® Technology
 * News & Events
 * Contact


VIANAUTIS BIO ANNOUNCES $25 MILLION SERIES A FINANCING TO DRIVE THE NEXT
GENERATION OF GENETIC NANOMEDICINES

– ViaNautis’s proprietary drug delivery platform polyNaut® is designed to
deliver genetic therapeutic payloads across difficult-to-penetrate biological
barriers, developing new medicines for diseases with unmet clinical need

– Series A led by 4BIO Capital, BGF, and UCB Ventures with participation from
the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Eli Lilly and Company and existing investors
including Origin Capital, Meltwind and O2H

Cambridge UK, 13 November 2023 – ViaNautis Bio (“ViaNautis” or the “Company”), a
groundbreaking nanomedicine company at the forefront of genetic therapies, is
excited to announce the successful completion of its Series A funding round,
raising $25 million (£20 million). Formerly known as SomaServe, ViaNautis has
secured support from a consortium of prominent global investors enabling the
advancement of its proprietary drug delivery platform – polyNaut®.

ViaNautis’s Series A fundraise was led by 4BIO Capital, BGF and UCB Ventures
with the additional participation of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Eli Lilly
and Company and existing investors including Origin Capital, Meltwind and O2H.
The proceeds from the round will fuel the rapid development of products using
the polyNaut® platform, expand the scientific and management teams and establish
industry-leading laboratory facilities.

ViaNautis’s 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. Unlike conventional drug delivery methods,
polyNaut® tackles the challenge of transporting genetic materials across
biological barriers, advancing medicines for conditions with pressing unmet
clinical needs, such as Cystic Fibrosis – a multisystemic disease affecting the
lungs, pancreas, and other organs – 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.

ViaNautis was spun out of UCL in 2018 by co-founders Dr Francesca Crawford, Dr
Denis Cecchin, and Professor Giuseppe Battaglia, inventor of polyNaut® and
honorary professor at UCL. Professor Battaglia is also an ICREA professor and
head of the Molecular Bionics Group at the Institute for Bioengineering of
Catalonia, part of the Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (IBEC).

Francesca Crawford, CEO of ViaNautis, commented:

> 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.

Owen Smith, Partner at 4BIO Capital, commented

> 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.

Lucy Edwardes Jones, Investor at BGF, commented

> ViaNautis’s polyNaut® technology represents a unique opportunity in the field
> of genetic therapies. This breakthrough creates a path for the development of
> innovative treatments for diseases that have remained unaddressed for too
> long. We are looking forward to supporting the team’s ambitious plans and
> collaborating closely with our co-investors to see this technology through to
> impact.”

Steven Biesmans, Principal at UCB Ventures, commented

> Being part of ViaNautis’s journey, we’re excited about the immense promise of
> the polyNaut® technology. It opens a plethora of novel prospects in the world
> of genetic therapies, offering the ability to reach previously inaccessible
> treatment sites. PolyNaut® addresses a critical need, as many patients
> currently have limited or no treatment options.

For further information on the company please visit www.vianautis.com or
contact:

ViaNautis:
Dr Fran Crawford, CEO
Email: fecrawford@vianautis.com

ICR Consilium Strategic Communications:
Amber Fennell, Alex Harrison, Max Bennett
Email: vianautis@consilium-comms.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 3709 5700

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
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vianautis/ and visit www.vianautis.com.

ABOUT 4BIO CAPITAL

4BIO Capital (“4BIO”) is an international venture capital firm focused on
investing in advanced therapies, including genomic medicines and other emerging
technologies, to unlock the treatments of the future. 4BIO’s objective is to
invest in, support, and grow early-stage companies developing treatments in
areas of high unmet medical need, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to
these potentially curative therapies for all patients. Specifically, it looks
for viable, high-quality opportunities in cell and gene therapy, RNA-based
therapy, targeted therapies, and the microbiome. The 4BIO team comprises leading
advanced therapy scientists and experienced life science investors who have
collectively published over 250 scientific articles in prestigious academic
journals including Nature, The Lancet, Cell, and the New England Journal of
Medicine. 4BIO has both an unrivalled network within the advanced therapy sector
and a unique understanding of the criteria that define a successful investment
opportunity in this space. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn at
https://www.linkedin.com/company/4bio-capital/ and Twitter @4biocapital and
visit https://www.4biocapital.com.

ABOUT BGF

BGF was set up in 2011 and has invested over £3.5bn in more than 550 companies,
making it the most active growth capital investor in the UK and Ireland. BGF is
a minority, non-controlling equity partner with a patient outlook on
investments, based on shared long-term goals with the management teams it backs.
BGF invests in growing businesses in the UK and Ireland through its network of
15 offices.
Website: http://www.bgf.co.uk/
Social media: @BGFinvestments

ABOUT UCB VENTURES

UCB Ventures (UCBV) is an evergreen strategic corporate venture fund established
in 2017 to create value from breakthrough innovations that can transform the
lives of patients suffering from severe diseases. UCBV makes long-term
investments in EU and US-based start-ups developing novel therapeutic modalities
and platforms/assets in areas adjacent to or even beyond UCB’s current
therapeutic focus. Specifically, UCB Ventures is seeking next-generation
technology platforms in cell and gene therapy, regenerative medicine, RNA
modulation, oligo-based therapeutics and synthetic biology. The UCBV team
consists of seasoned investment professionals that work closely with
entrepreneurs to bring out to the best in their portfolio companies.
For more information, visit https://www.ucbventures.com/ and connect on LinkedIn
at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ucb-ventures/


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 * previous post: SomaServe- successful closing of £2m late seed funding round
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 * ViaNautis Bio announces $25 million Series A financing to drive the next
   generation of genetic nanomedicines

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