Laverock Therapeutics has raised £13.5 million to further develop their gene editing induced gene silencing (GEiGS) platform for human therapeutic applications. The funding round was led by Calculus Capital, with participation from Eli Lilly and Company, Mercia Ventures, Maven Capital Partners, Eos, UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, and Tekfen Ventures. The aim of the funding is to progress Laverock’s programmes in regenerative medicine and immuno-oncology, specifically for type I diabetes and solid tumour responsive T-cell and macrophage-based immune therapies, through in vitro and in vivo validation.
In addition to further technology development, the funding will also go towards hiring new team members and expanding lab facilities. Laverock Therapeutics CEO David Venables expressed anticipation for the progress that the funding will help them achieve towards pre-clinical candidate selection.
Elizabeth Klein, investment director at Calculus, praised Laverock Therapeutics and its management team for leading a new era of programmable advanced therapies. She stated that Calculus had previously backed David Venables’ previous venture, Synpromics, which delivered an exceptional return for investors in 2019.
The investment from the group of experienced investors is expected to bring extensive sector expertise, which will help Laverock Therapeutics grow as a company and accelerate the development of targeted, responsive treatments.