Vandria secures over CHF 14 million to advance age-related disease therapies

Biotech Vandria has raised an additional CHF 14 million to accelerate the development of innovative treatments for age-related and chronic diseases, bringing its total Series A financing to CHF 28.3 million.

Vandria, a biotech company based in the canton of Vaud, is making significant progress in the development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of age-related and chronic diseases. The company recently announced the second closing of its Series A financing round, which now totals CHF 28.3 million. This latest infusion of capital includes new investments from the Hevolution Foundation and Dolby Family Ventures, in addition to lead founding investor ND Capital.

Vandria is focused on developing first-in-class small molecule mitophagy inducers that target novel pathways to rejuvenate cells and address diseases with high unmet need, particularly in the areas of muscle and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The new investors include the Hevolution Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting innovative science that promotes healthy aging, and Dolby Family Ventures, which specializes in early-stage investments in precision neuroscience and platform companies.

Jens Eckstein, Investment Partner at Hevolution Foundation, who will join Vandria’s board of directors, expressed enthusiasm about the company’s potential: “We are excited by the potential of mitophagy as a new therapeutic approach with strong disease-modifying effects for an aging world population. Vandria’s pipeline offers the potential to address various age-related and chronic diseases of the muscle, lung, and liver.”

Since closing its first Series A in December 2023, Vandria has rapidly advanced its platform and lead program, VNA-318, a patent-protected, brain-penetrating mitophagy inducer. VNA-318 is set to enter clinical trials in Europe shortly. The company has also expanded its team and moved into dedicated laboratory facilities at Superlab Suisse on the Biopôle campus in Lausanne.

In addition to the equity financing, Vandria has secured CHF 4.2 million in non-dilutive funding from Innosuisse and Eurostars grants. These funds will support the advancement of VNA-318 and the generation of preclinical data for other mitophagy drug candidates in Vandria’s muscle program.

Klaus Dugi, CEO of Vandria, welcomed the new investors, stating: “This financing will enable us to progress further in clinical development, with runway from the Series A to complete the Single Ascending Dose and Multiple Ascending Dose Phase 1 study of VNA-318 and to initiate three parallel Phase 1b/2a efficacy studies in 2025, subject to positive progress in Phase 1 and regulatory approvals.”