Milan-based biotech NanoPhoria, which develops inhalable heart therapies using nano-delivery, has raised €83.5 million in a Series A round to expand beyond HFrEF.
- Launched in 2022 by Daniele Catalucci, Michele Iafisco, Alessio Alogna, and Claudio De Luca, NanoPhoria is a Milan-based biotech spin-off from Italy’s National Research Council (CNR).
- The company develops inhalable cardiovascular treatments using a proprietary nano-in-micro drug delivery platform designed for targeted delivery of biologics such as peptides and RNAs.
- Its technology is based on inorganic calcium-phosphate nanoparticles, which serve as biomimetic carriers capable of transporting therapeutic molecules directly to specific tissues.
- NanoPhoria’s lead product, NP-MP1, is an inhalable formulation delivering a first-in-class peptide that modulates cardiac L-type calcium channels to improve heart function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The approach uses a lung-to-heart delivery route, allowing the treatment to reach the heart efficiently while minimizing systemic exposure.
Details of the deal
- The €83.5 million Series A was led by XGEN Venture, a life sciences venture capital firm focused on early-stage biotech, medical device, and diagnostics companies, Sofinnova Partners, and CDP Venture Capital.
- Panakès Partners and one other undisclosed investor, also joined the round.
"This financing builds on the early support of my colleague Lucia Faccio, Partner in the Sofinnova Telethon Strategy, whose role was instrumental in supporting the company in its early days to take shape. The investment reflects Sofinnova’s broader commitment to backing world-class science across Europe, from early-stage company creation to late-stage growth,'' claims Henrijette Richter, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners.
- NanoPhoria will use the €83.5 million Series A funding to advance its lead candidate, NP-MP1, through IND-enabling studies, early clinical trials, and GMP manufacturing scale-up, while supporting necessary regulatory activities.
- The investment will also enable the company to expand its pipeline by exploring additional therapeutic indications and further developing its proprietary nano-in-micro lung-to-heart delivery platform for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.
