€40m · Seed · Healthtech · Milan, Italy
Aptadir Therapeutics has closed a €40m seed round to advance a new class of RNA inhibitor-based medicines for genetic conditions and cancer. The Milan biotech said 4BIO Capital led the financing, with follow-on backing from EXTEND, the Italian technology-transfer hub launched by CDP Venture Capital and jointly funded by Angelini Ventures and Evotec. CDP Venture Capital, Indaco Venture Partners, XGEN Venture and CE-Ventures also participated, alongside Angelini Ventures, Kerna Ventures, Italian Angels for Biotech and Club degli Investitori. Funding announcement
Reactivating genes rather than replacing them
Aptadir is developing molecules called DNMTs Interacting RNAs, or DiRs. The company says these RNAs bind to and inhibit DNMT1, an enzyme involved in DNA methylation, so that genes silenced by abnormal methylation can be reactivated. Its platform is designed to work at the level of a specific gene rather than suppressing DNMT1 throughout the body, an approach intended to avoid the toxicity and lack of selectivity associated with broader inhibition. Aptadir platform
The lead programme, CAP1-FMR1, targets Fragile X syndrome. In that condition, methylation switches off the FMR1 gene and reduces production of a protein needed for normal brain development. Aptadir says it has demonstrated gene reactivation in patient-derived disease models, but it remains a preclinical company: the financing is paying for the work needed to determine whether the mechanism can become a safe and effective medicine in patients. Funding announcement
A large seed round buys a clinical translation test
The capital will fund Aptadir's disease-modifying RNA pipeline, with CAP1-FMR1 first in line. CEO Giovanni Amabile told Corriere della Sera that the company plans to hire more than 20 people and aims to begin its first patient study within 18 months. Those are company targets rather than completed milestones, and they define the central execution question for the round: whether the platform's gene-specific results in patient-derived models can be reproduced through manufacturing, safety studies and clinical development. Corriere della Sera
The company launched in 2024 with $1.6m in pre-seed backing from EXTEND, bringing together science originating at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Italy's National Research Council and the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore. The seed round adds specialist biotech capital and gives Aptadir room to move from an academic discovery platform toward a defined development candidate, while leaving the hardest evidence - human safety and efficacy - still to be produced. 2024 company launch
Sources checked:
Aptadir funding announcement · Aptadir website · Corriere della Sera · Tech.eu Funding Explorer
