Utrecht-based biotech firm Laigo Bio has completed the second close of its seed round, raising an additional €5.5 million, bringing its total to €17 million, with Biovance Capital joining Kurma Partners as co-lead investors.
- Launched in 2024 by Neill Moray Mackenzie and Madelon Maurice, Laigo Bio develops therapies that remove disease-causing proteins from cell surfaces using its SureTACs™ platform.
- The technology uses bispecific antibodies to link a membrane target protein with a membrane-bound E3 ligase, triggering ubiquitination and lysosomal degradation.
- By selecting specific E3 ligases for each target, the platform enables degradation of proteins that cannot be addressed by conventional drugs.
- Laigo Bio combines transcriptome and proteome data with a screening system to identify optimal target-ligase pairs, focusing on oncology, autoimmune disorders, and immunology, with the goal of precise and selective protein elimination.
Details of the deal
- The Laigo Bio seed financing round was supported by Biovance Capital and Kurma Partners as co-leads, along with Curie Capital, Argobio Studio, Angelini Ventures, Eurazeo, Oncode Bridge Fund, ROM Utrecht Region, and Cancer Research Horizons.
“Laigo Bio has shown that its SureTACs degradation technology results in remarkable in vivo and in vitro efficacy, with a high degree of selectivity and improved toxicity and safety. We at Biovance Capital see phenomenal potential in Laigo’s technology and support its commitment to exploring an ever-evolving universe of new targets, including those currently considered undruggable," explains Dr. João Incio, General Partner at Biovance Capital.
- The firm plans to use the fresh capital to advance its SureTACs™ programs by accelerating oncology candidates toward the clinic and further developing its three programs targeting autoimmune and immunology indications, including graft rejection.
