- Series A financing will advance the company’s lead candidate for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) through completion of early clinical development and GMP manufacturing scale-up and regulatory programs
- Funds raised will also enable NanoPhoria to pursue indications beyond HFrEF
- The raise is the largest ever Italian biotech, Series A round
MILAN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NanoPhoria Bioscience, a Milan-based biotech company, today announced the successful first close of its €83.5 million Series A financing round. The round was led by XGEN Venture, Sofinnova Partners, and CDP Venture Capital, with Panakès Partners also investing and one other undisclosed investor joining the round.
The funding will propel NanoPhoria’s lead candidate, NP-MP1, through IND-enabling studies and early clinical development. NP-MP1 is a first-in-class peptide that targets cardiac L-type calcium channels to improve ejection fraction for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Delivered via NanoPhoria’s proprietary lung-to-heart nano-in-micro technology, NP-MP1 has demonstrated excellent efficacy in preclinical models of heart failure and aims to address a root cause of HFrEF by improving cardiac contractility. HFrEF is a condition affecting millions globally with a five-year mortality rate of approximately 40%.
“This financing is a transformational milestone for NanoPhoria,” said Claudio De Luca, CEO and co-founder. “It enables us to accelerate clinical development of NP-MP1 and expand our pipeline. Our innovative delivery platform allows us to target previously inaccessible cellular targets in the cardiomyocyte, thereby bringing us closer to delivering life-changing treatments for patients living with serious cardiac and other chronic conditions who are underserved by existing treatments. We are profoundly grateful to our scientific founders, our investors, our Board, and our Chair, Suman Shirodkar, whose vision and efforts have shaped NanoPhoria’s progress and ambition.”
This investment perfectly aligns with XGEN’s strategy to lead early financing rounds in the most innovative Italian startups that address true medical needs,” said Paolo Fundarò, Managing Partner at XGEN Venture. “NanoPhoria’s science provides a novel, and viable, way of delivering highly potent therapeutics directly to the heart and we look forward to working alongside such a fantastic syndicate of investors.”
“NanoPhoria’s platform has the potential to redefine treatment paradigms in cardiovascular and other chronic diseases which is why we are excited to invest in this company,” added Henrijette Richter, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners. “This financing builds on the early support of my colleague Lucia Faccio, Partner in the Sofinnova Telethon Strategy, whose role was instrumental in supporting the company in its early days to take shape. The investment reflects Sofinnova’s broader commitment to backing world-class science across Europe, from early-stage company creation to late-stage growth.”
About NanoPhoria
Founded in 2022 by Daniele Catalucci, Michele Iafisco, Alessio Alogna and Claudio De Luca NanoPhoria is a spin-off from Italy’s National Research Council (CNR). The company is developing a versatile, nano-in-micro & lung-to-heart delivery platform based on inorganic calcium phosphate nanoparticles. The company’s first product is a pre-clinical stage treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), a chronic syndrome affecting the lives of millions worldwide. NanoPhoria is supported by Sofinnova Partners, XGEN Venture, CDP Venture Capital and other investors. Learn more at NanoPhoria.com
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage.
Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners manages over €4 billion in assets. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.com.
About XGEN Venture
XGEN Venture is a premier venture capital firm dedicated to advancing innovations in the life sciences sector. With nearly two decades of experience, the founding team has a proven track record of building breakthrough life sciences startups in Italy and internationally. XGEN is currently investing out of its first fund, XGEN Venture Life Science Fund, launched in 2022, and focusing on early-stage investments across biotechnology, medical devices, and diagnostics. For more information: www.xgenventure.com
About CDP Venture Capital
CDP Venture Capital is an Asset Management Company with €4.7 billion in assets under management. It operates with a series of funds that aim to support startups throughout all their life stages, making both direct and indirect investments. The CDP Venture Capital contribution to Nanophoria’s Series A round was performed through its Large Ventures Fund.
About Panakès Partners
Panakès Partners is a Venture Capital firm, based in Milan, that invests in the most ambitious companies and teams developing revolutionary technologies and products in the field of life sciences with the aim of improving the lives of people around the world. Panakès, founded in 2016 by Fabrizio Landi, Alessio Beverina and Diana Saraceni, has €250 million under management. www.panakes.it
Contacts
Barnaby Pickering, Director, 59 North Communications
[email protected]
+447300796779
Claudio De Luca, CEO and Founder, NanoPhoria
[email protected]
