Dutch biotech VectorY Therapeutics has secured $138 million in a Series A financing round to advance its vectorized antibody programs targeting neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s platform combines precise therapeutic antibodies with one-time AAV-based delivery to the central nervous system.
VectorY’s lead vectorized antibody program (VTx-002) is designed to target TDP-43, a protein involved in RNA-related metabolism, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a debilitating condition characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in a life expectancy of only two to five years post-diagnosis. Presently, there is no cure for ALS, and available treatments can only slow disease progression by a matter of months.
Currently in preclinical development, VTx-002 aims to delay disease progression and enhance the quality of life for ALS patients. The program utilizes a vectorized antibody to selectively clear misfolded and aggregated TDP-43 from the cytoplasm of neuronal cells, thereby restoring essential functions in the nucleus and preserving overall neuronal cell health.
In addition to advancing clinical development on its lead program, VectorY says it plans to expedite the development of its vectorized antibody platform and explore additional pipeline programs targeting proteinopathies associated with other neurodegenerative diseases.
“The investment will enable us to advance our lead program VTx-002, a potentially disease-modifying therapy for ALS, into clinical development,” said Sander van Deventer, CEO of VectorY. “Our program is uniquely positioned to address TDP-43 pathology, which underlies the disease in the vast majority of ALS patients. The series A will also support advancement of additional pipeline programs targeting proteinopathies in neurodegenerative diseases demonstrating the broad potential of our platform.”
The funding round, one of the largest private biotech financings in Europe this year, was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and the Forbion Growth Opportunities Fund. The round also saw participation from a mix of new and existing investors, including MRL Ventures Fund (the corporate venture arm of Merck & Co.), Insight Partners, ALS Investment Fund, Forbion Ventures, BioGeneration Ventures (BGV), and others.
Wouter Joustra from Forbion, Arno de Wilde from EQT Life Sciences, and Karin Kleinhans from MRL Ventures Fund are set to join VectorY’s board of directors.
“We are very impressed with VectorY’s unique capabilities to combine gene and antibody therapy drug development with deep neuroscience expertise,” said de Wilde. “The company’s technology allows for targeted protein degradation while restoring or preserving normal protein function, with applications across multiple neurodegenerative diseases.”
