Vaud based biotech Vandria is developing first-in-class small molecule mitophagy inducers against a novel target to rejuvenate cells and treat age-related and chronic diseases in the fields of Muscle- and CNS diseases with large unmet medical need.. Among the new investors, Hevolution Foundation is focused on innovative science to support healthy aging. Dolby Family Ventures, in life sciences, invests in early-stage precision neuroscience and platform companies. In association with the financing, Jens Eckstein, Investment Partner at Hevolution Foundation, will join Vandria’s board of directors.
Jens Eckstein, Investment Partner Hevolution Foundation said, “We are excited by the potential of mitophagy as a new therapeutic approach with strong disease-modifying effects for an aging world population that faces cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Vandria’s pipeline offers even wider potential to address other age-related and chronic diseases of the muscle, lung and liver. This investment aligns with our mission to fund innovations that help catalyse the shift from lifespan to healthspan so that everyone can live healthier lives for longer.”
Sourav Kole, Managing Director, Dolby Family Ventures said, “Given the association of mitophagy to neurodegeneration and other disorders and Vandria’s robust preclinical dataset in showing neuroprotective effects and the potential to improve cognition, we are delighted to invest in the company to demonstrate this potential via clinical studies.”
Making rapid progress
Since the first Series A close in December at $20.6M (CHF 18M), backed by ND Capital and a small syndicate of private investors, Vandria has made rapid progress. It has further developed its platform and portfolio, and advanced its lead program, VNA-318, a patent-protected, brain-penetrant, first-in-class mitophagy inducer. VNA-318 is on track to enter clinical trials in Europe in the coming weeks. The company has also expanded its team and moved to dedicated lab facilities at Superlab Suisse on the Biopôle Lausanne campus.
In addition to the equity financing, Vandria has secured CHF 4.2M in prestigious non-dilutive funding: two Innosuisse grants to support VNA-318 and an Eurostars grant to support the generation of pre-clinical data for mitophagy drug candidates in Vandria’s muscle program.
Klaus Dugi, CEO of Vandria, said: “I am delighted to welcome Hevolution Foundation and Dolby Family Ventures, alongside ND Capital, to support our transformation into a clinical stage company. This Financing will enable us to progress further in clinical development with runway from the series A to complete the Single Ascending Dose (SAD) and Multiple Ascending Dose (MAD) first-in-man Phase 1 study of VNA-318 and to initiate three parallel Phase 1b / 2a efficacy studies in 2025, subject to positive progress in the Phase 1 and regulatory approvals.”
(Press release)
The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
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