Exploiting research conducted at Navarra University and Harvard Medical School, Vivet Therapeutics is working on gene therapies for metabolic diseases.
France-based biotechnology developer Vivet Therapeutics raised €37.5m ($41m) in series A funding today from investors co-led by Novartis Venture Fund, the investment arm of pharmaceutical firm Novartis, and Columbus Venture Partners.
Roche Venture Fund, the corporate venturing subsidiary of healthcare business Roche, also took part in the series A round, as did HealthCap, Kurma Partners and Ysios Capital.
Founded in 2016, Vivet is working on a pipeline of gene therapies to treat a range of rare, inherited metabolic diseases such as Wilson’s disease, which causes the possibly life-threatening accumulation of copper in a patient’s liver, brain and other vital organs.
Vivet is exploiting research by non-profit foundation Fundación para la Investigación Médica Aplicada at Navarra University’s Centre for Applied Medical Research (Cima) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE), the ophthalmology teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
The money will support the advancement of Vivet’s pipeline, including its lead program VTX801 that targets Wilson’s disease. The condition currently affects approximately 10,000 patients in the US and 15,000 in the EU.
Gloria Gonzalez Aseguinolaza, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Vivet, said: “Technologies for the development of gene therapies have advanced significantly in recent years which, along with an improved understanding of genetic diseases, offer new opportunities for patients with suboptimal therapeutic options.
“By collaborating with leading institutions such as Cima in Spain and MEE in the US, Vivet has secured superior and novel gene therapy technologies and liver disease expertise.
“We believe these capabilities, combined with the international development expertise of the management team, creates a company with very exciting prospects.”
