Led · Seed · Jan 2024

Vasa Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on therapies addressing the pathophysiology of cardiovascular aging. Its lead program, VS-041, is a personalized-medicine treatment for HFpEF that reduced cardiac fibrosis in a preclinical HFpEF model and inhibits release of collagen fragments such as PRO-C6; a Phase 1 clinical trial is planned for Q2 2024. Other programs include long-acting apelin peptide analogs intended for combination treatment with incretins in obesity patients at risk of muscle loss or cardiovascular disease, and potential monotherapy uses in muscle atrophy, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and peripheral artery disease. The company is also developing a CamKIId inhibitor for heart failure and life-threatening arrhythmias. Vasa is led by CEO Artur Plonowski, MD, PhD, and is based in Encinitas, CA. It intends to use recently raised funds to advance these novel therapies toward clinical development.

Led · Equity · Jan 2021

Ambulero develops a platform of cell and gene therapies that deliver E-selectin to promote vascular repair. Its cell therapy program uses stromal cells engineered to express E-selectin, and its gene therapy program administers E-selectin directly to injured tissues. The company holds an exclusive license from the University of Miami to commercialize research from the laboratories of Drs. Omaida C. Velazquez and Jun Zhao-Liu, whose animal models showed E-selectin can help promote vascular repair. Ambulero announced it raised up to $5.5M in funding from Orphinic Scientific and formed a Polish subsidiary to lead clinical testing in Europe. The subsidiary will target a vascular disease that is rare in the U.S. but more common in parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Ambulero is a 2019 spin-out of the University of Miami, co-founded by Robert L. Buchanan, Randy Berholtz, Omaida C. Velazquez and Jun Zhao-Liu, and is financially backed by Ventac Holdings, LLC while sourcing investors for a Series A round.