French biotech SeaBeLife, which develops drug candidates targeting regulated cell death pathways, has been awarded €2.9 million in government funding to advance its SBL01 drug candidate for acute liver damage, as Vestbee was informed.
- Founded in 2019 by Morgane Rousselot and Claire Delehouze, SeaBeLife develops small molecules that target two regulated cell death mechanisms, necroptosis and ferroptosis, with the aim of protecting organs affected by severe diseases.
- Its pipeline includes SBL01 for acute liver diseases and SBL03 for degenerative retinal diseases. SBL01 has shown efficacy in several preclinical models and received orphan drug designation in the European Union in 2024 for the prevention of acute liver failure.
Details of the deal
- The funding was awarded under the i-Demo scheme of France 2030, an investment programme run by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government. It will support the €6.47 million SeaBeLIVER project, which aims to advance SBL01 through manufacturing development, regulatory preclinical studies and the application for clinical trial authorization.
- The programme includes a Phase I trial in healthy volunteers, followed by a Phase Ib trial in hospitalized patients with acute liver damage. The company aims to generate initial data on the drug candidate’s biological activity in humans and further validate its approach of simultaneously inhibiting necroptosis and ferroptosis.
- The SeaBeLIVER project is expected to run from 2026 to 2028 and involve French contract research and development and manufacturing partners.
