Nanoligent closes €12 million funding round to advance the development of its oncology nanodrug
Born as a spin-off of the UAB and the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, the company has closed a €12 million investment round to advance the development of its first oncological nanodrug. Led by Dr Montserrat Cano, Nanoligent aims to bring a new generation of oncological treatments based on nanobiotechnology developed at the UAB to the clinical stage.
Nanoligent, a biotechnology company specialized in the development of targeted nanodrugs for cancer treatment, has closed a €12 million funding round. The round was led by Inveready, through its Inveready Biotech IV fund, with additional participation from CDTI (via the Innvierte program), Clave Capital, through its Clave Innohealth fund, and current investors i&i Biotech Fund I, Italian Angels for Growth, and Avanteca.
This capital injection will allow Nanoligent to complete the regulatory preclinical development of its lead compound, NNL1524, and advance into the clinic with a Phase Ia study in patients with solid tumors. The funding will also support manufacturing scale-up and optimization of production processes.
Its lead candidate, NNL1524, targets CXCR4, a membrane receptor involved in tumorigenesis, cell proliferation, and metastasis, which is overexpressed in various hematological malignancies and solid tumors such as colorectal cancer, lung carcinoma, and breast cancer. In animal models, NNL1524 has demonstrated strong efficacy, achieving significant tumor regression as a monotherapy, with a favorable safety profile. These results reinforce its potential as a new therapeutic option in areas where significant unmet clinical needs remain.
Dr. Montserrat Cano, CEO of Nanoligent, commented: “This is a very important moment for Nanoligent. We feel deeply grateful for the significant recognition it represents, both at the national level with the incorporation of the new investors, and through the continued trust of our international investors. Their knowledge of the sector will be of great value in achieving the company’s upcoming milestones. Our team is fully prepared and committed to enthusiastically embracing the challenges of this new stage and to bringing our technology to where it truly matters: the patients who need it.”
“We strongly believe in the potential of Nanoligent’s nanodrugs to overcome the limitations of conventional cytotoxic conjugate therapies. Their low molecular weight, high cellular internalization capacity, and strong selectivity for the therapeutic target provide advantages. We are pleased to lead this round alongside a strong syndicate of specialized national and international investors,” said Antonio Herce, Director at Inveready.
“We are delighted to join this new phase of Nanoligent, where the robustness of the preclinical results and the excellence of its team have demonstrated a level of quality that makes a real difference in the development of new oncological therapies,” said Ignacio Prieto. Investment Analyst at Clave Capital.
A spin-off from the UAB and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Nanoligent is a spin-off from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. It was founded following over ten years of collaboration between the Nanobiotechnology Group of the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB-UAB), co-directed by Antonio Villaverde and Esther Vázquez, and the Oncogenesis and Antitumour Drugs Group at the Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute, led by Professor Ramon Mangues.
The company is led by Dr Montserrat Cano (CEO) and Dr Manuel Rodríguez (chairman of the board of directors), who both have extensive experience in drug development and biotechnology project management.