Vandria raises USD 20.6M and emerges from stealth

Vandria was spun out of Amazentis SA in 2021 with backing from ND Capital to develop first-in-class small molecule mitophagy inducers against a novel target to rejuvenate cells and treat age-related and chronic diseases. Capitalizing on 15 years of discovery science, Vandria has rapidly developed its platform and portfolio, and its lead program, VNA-318, a patent-protected, brain-penetrant, first-in-class mitophagy inducer, is on track to enter clinical trials in Europe in Q2 2024.

The company’s impressive management team includes senior pharma executive Klaus Dugi, MD as CEO, mitochondrial expert Penelope Andreux, PhD, as CSO, and life sciences entrepreneur Peter Harboe-Schmidt, MSc, MBA, as Head of BD & Finance. Patrick Aebischer chairs the board.

Penelope Andreux, CSO of Vandria, said: “The potential of mitophagy as a new therapeutic approach for tackling CNS disorders is increasingly recognized by the pharmaceutical industry. Our lead candidate, VNA-318, has neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory effects and has been demonstrated to improve cognition in disease-relevant models. We believe it has the potential to impact a range of CNS indications and we look forward to starting clinical development in 2024.”

Klaus Dugi, CEO of Vandria, said: “ND Capital has been a highly supportive investor through our startup phase and Series A financing. 2024 will be a transformative year for Vandria as it becomes a clinical-stage company with a novel small molecule designed to address cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration - areas of critical patient need in an aging world population. The company has rapidly progressed in the past two years and has an exciting future. We look forward to welcoming additional investors to support the further clinical development of VNA-318 and deliver on the wider potential of Vandria’s mitophagy platform to treat age-related and chronic diseases.”

Dani Bach, Partner of ND Capital and director of Vandria, said: “Targeting mitochondria is emerging as a very hot area in drug development as evidenced by several recent M&A deals and VC financings. With Vandria’s potential first-in-class drugs for a target validated in humans, we think we are ahead of the pack. We have worked closely with the company to assemble a world-class leadership team and attract high-calibre advisors and additional investors. It exemplifies the strength of our company-building model.”. 

Targeting patients with early-stage CNS and neurogenerative disorders
Based at EPFL Innovation Park, Vandria discovers and develops inhibitors of a novel target, which results in the induction of mitophagy - the selective removal and replacement of damaged mitochondria - and anti-inflammatory effects. The target has strong genetic links to several human diseases. In preclinical studies, Vandria’s lead candidate, VNA-318, has been consistently shown to improve memory and learning acutely, and to have strong disease-modifying effects in models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. Toxicity studies have demonstrated that VNA-318 has a wide safety window.

VNA-318 targets patients with early-stage CNS and neurodegenerative disorders to treat cognitive impairment and limit memory loss progression. The global market for Alzheimer’s disease alone is estimated at $7.6 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% to 2035, driven by an aging population, improved diagnosis, and a growing awareness and understanding of the condition and its implications. In addition to VNA-318, Vandria has a pipeline of other mitophagy-inducing small molecules to address unmet medical need in muscle, lung, and liver diseases. The US Patent Office has issued a composition of matter patent covering VNA-318 and other compounds.

(Press release )