Participated · Series B · Jun 2026

COUR Pharma develops first-in-class antigen-specific immune tolerance therapies using a proprietary nanoparticle platform that encapsulates disease-relevant antigens to reprogram autoimmune responses. Its lead program, CNP-103, encapsulates four recombinant proteins and is designed to induce tolerance to antigens driving type 1 diabetes; it is currently in a Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (NCT06783309) in recently diagnosed adolescents and adults. COUR says the proteins in CNP-103 are believed to cover over 95% of known T1D-driving antigens and aims to prevent further islet cell destruction and preserve insulin production. The company is pursuing partnerships to advance CNP-104 for primary biliary cholangitis and CNP-106 for myasthenia gravis. COUR recently raised $50 million in a Series B to support the clinical advancement of CNP-103, with participation from strategic and venture investors including Lumira Ventures, Roche Venture Fund, and Sanofi.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2026

Century Therapeutics is a biotechnology company advancing regenerative cell therapies aimed at curing serious diseases. Its lead asset, CNTY-813, is an engineered beta islet cell program designed to provide a potentially curative treatment for Type 1 diabetes by restoring insulin-producing capacity. The company reports rapid progress on this program and plans to accelerate R&D activities with newly secured capital. Beyond CNTY-813, Century indicates ambitions to expand a pipeline of truly transformative cell-based therapies, though specific additional candidates were not detailed in the article. Century’s execution momentum has attracted strong investor interest, resulting in an oversubscribed financing round. The $135 million private placement substantially enhances the firm’s balance sheet and will fund preclinical and clinical development of CNTY-813 and related platform work.

Participated · Series D · Sep 2025

Kriya Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies across multiple therapeutic areas. Its pipeline includes programs in ophthalmology, metabolic disease and neurology built on a fully integrated proprietary manufacturing and engineering platform. The company intends to use new funding to support clinical trials of its gene therapies and to continue leveraging its research and manufacturing engine for new product development. Kriya operates from Research Triangle Park, NC. The company closed a major Series D financing to advance its clinical programs and platform utilization. Kriya Therapeutics develops gene therapies focused on prevalent diseases in ophthalmology, neurology, and metabolic disease. The company has built integrated engineering, computational, and manufacturing platforms to accelerate research, development and production of gene therapies. Proceeds from the recent financing will support clinical translation of its pipeline and further scaling of those platforms. Kriya emphasizes targeting validated biological targets and well-defined clinical endpoints to rapidly achieve proof-of-concept. Since its founding in October 2019, the company has raised over $600 million in committed capital and says its investments in infrastructure and talent have improved development efficiency. Kriya intends to translate multiple programs into the clinic in the coming years. Kriya Therapeutics is a fully integrated gene therapy company that combines proprietary computational tools, in-house GMP manufacturing, and a rational design toolkit to develop gene therapies. The company has scaled SIRVE™, a machine learning–enabled technology and cloud computing architecture, to integrate large datasets from high-throughput screening and sequencing. Kriya has expanded its pipeline via internal R&D, acquisitions, and partnerships, with therapeutic divisions in ophthalmology, oncology, rare disease, and chronic disease. It operationalized scalable GMP manufacturing infrastructure in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to support in-house production from early through late-phase development. The company’s stated mission is to improve speed to market and reduce cost for gene therapies by advancing engineering, production, and translation capabilities. Proceeds from the recent financing will support advancing the pipeline and continued scaling of its engineering, manufacturing, and computational platforms. Kriya Therapeutics is a fully integrated platform company focused on designing, developing and manufacturing gene therapies. The company combines computational vector design (SIRVE™) and a proprietary high-efficiency manufacturing platform (STRIPE™) to reduce immunogenicity, improve expression and achieve lower production costs at scale. STRIPE is being developed at a 51,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and Kriya expects its full cGMP manufacturing infrastructure to be online this year. Kriya is advancing an internal pipeline with programs in metabolic disease, ophthalmology and oncology. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to further develop Kriya’s core technology platforms, expand its therapeutic pipeline and advance current programs. The company maintains locations in Silicon Valley/Redwood City, Calif., and Research Triangle Park, N.C., and is led by co-founder and CEO Shankar Ramaswamy, M.D. Kriya Therapeutics is a Palo Alto, Calif. and Durham, N.C.-based gene therapy company focused on expanding gene therapy beyond rare monogenic disorders to diseases that affect millions. Its pipeline centers on multiple AAV-based investigational therapies targeting metabolic diseases, including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and severe obesity. Lead programs are KT-A112 (intramuscular delivery of genes producing insulin and glucokinase), KT-A522 (salivary gland delivery of a GLP-1 receptor agonist), and KT-A832 (intrapancreatic delivery of modified IGF-1). The company intends to use proceeds from its financing to develop these gene therapies. Kriya completed a seed round in Q4 2019 led by Transhuman Capital, which also participated in the Series A. The company is led by co-founder, chairman and CEO Shankar Ramaswamy, M.D., supported by a team of scientific, development, manufacturing, and regulatory executives.

Participated · Series B · May 2025

Zucara Therapeutics is a Toronto-based diabetes life sciences company developing ZT-01, a first-in-class, once-daily therapeutic to prevent hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes. ZT-01 is designed as an SST receptor 2 antagonist to inhibit somatostatin and restore glucagon secretion, improving the body’s counterregulatory response to low blood glucose. Zucara has demonstrated that ZT-01 can increase the glucagon response in people with T1D. The company completed a US$25 million Series B financing to support its clinical and development programs. Proceeds are intended to fund the remainder of the ongoing Phase 2a ZONE trial and the nonclinical development of a once-weekly version of ZT-01. The financing brings strategic and mission-driven investors into the syndicate to advance the candidate toward later-stage development. Zucara Therapeutics is developing ZT-01, a once-daily therapeutic intended to prevent insulin-induced hypoglycemia in patients using insulin therapy. ZT-01 is designed to inhibit somatostatin, restoring glucagon secretion and the body’s ability to recover from hypoglycemia. The company positions ZT-01 as a first-in-class therapy that could improve diabetes management and reduce dangerous hypoglycemic episodes. Zucara was co-founded by Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners and adMare BioInnovations based on foundational intellectual property from the University of Toronto. Preclinical R&D was supported by more than US$7 million in funding, including US$3.9M from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and US$0.8M from JDRF International. The company is preparing to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of ZT-01 in mid-2020 and intends to advance the program through Phase 2. Zucara Therapeutics is a diabetes life sciences company developing the first once-daily therapeutic to prevent low blood glucose (hypoglycemia); its lead candidate is ZT-01. The company is a spin-off of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and MaRS Innovation and is based in Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia. Zucara plans GLP toxicology, GMP manufacturing and IND/CTA‑enabling activities to advance ZT-01 into Phase I clinical trials in 2019, with preclinical work led by CSO Dr. Richard Liggins and scientific support from founding scientist Dr. Michael Riddell. The company secured US$3.9M in non-dilutive funding structured as a program-related investment (PRI) loan from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support preclinical advancement. This new support builds on more than US$1M in earlier funding from JDRF International, the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), CDRD and MaRS Innovation. Zucara will join a Helmsley-supported scientific working group focused on understanding and restoring pancreatic mechanisms to prevent hypoglycemia and continues to collaborate with CDRD to advance its product. Zucara Therapeutics is a pre-clinical life sciences company and a spin-off of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and MaRS Innovation. The company’s lead program is a first-in-class therapeutic designed to prevent dangerous low blood sugar by inhibiting somatostatin and restoring counter-regulation in people with diabetes. Founding scientists include Dr. Michael Riddell and Dr. Richard Liggins, who serves as chief scientific officer. Zucara has shown proof-of-principle in animal models and plans to advance its lead candidate through IND-enabling studies. JDRF has provided previous support to the underlying academic work and has contributed new funding to ready the program for clinical testing beginning in 2019. The company aims to reduce hypoglycemia incidence without affecting insulin efficacy, improving glucose management and long-term outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes. Zucara Therapeutics is a pre-clinical life sciences spin-off of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and MaRS Innovation developing a first-in-class, once-daily drug to prevent hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes. The program targets somatostatin type 2 receptors in the pancreas to prevent low blood sugar and restore natural glucose regulation, offering a preventative approach unlike rescue therapies. The company licensed a set of compounds from CDRD and is selecting and advancing a lead drug candidate. Further validation and in vivo studies are ongoing. Zucara says the recent funding provides runway to reach near-term value-creating milestones and advance the program toward clinical development. The company plans to seek Series A financing in early 2017 to take the program into clinical trials, which are expected to start in 2018.

Participated · Series B · Jan 2025

Aspect Biosystems develops bioengineered cellular medicines and bioprinted tissue therapeutics aimed at restoring or supplementing biological functions, targeting serious metabolic and endocrine diseases including diabetes. Its platform integrates AI-powered bioprinting technology, stem cells, hypoimmune cell engineering and advanced biomaterials. The company has announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk to develop curative medicines for diabetes. Recent government funding (CA$79M federal and CA$23.8M provincial) is intended to support expansion, clinical development and biomanufacturing scale-up and to accelerate a path to commercialization. Aspect is positioning to deepen its platform capabilities and move its therapies toward patient impact.