ViaNautis Bio, a biotech developing non-viral delivery of genetic medicines, has added SCI Ventures as a new investor. Backed by leading clinical centres and research foundations worldwide, SCI Ventures is a specialist venture fund focused on advancing treatments and cures for paralysis. The investment expands ViaNautis' central nervous system portfolio to include chronic spinal cord injury, an area of high unmet medical need where no regenerative therapies have yet been approved.
At the centre of the business is polyNaut®, a platform of targeted polymer nanovesicles that enable plug-and-play, nanobody-guided delivery of nucleic acid payloads to specific cells and tissues. That includes regenerative genetic payloads aimed at cells at and around spinal cord lesions. Designed for targeted, non-viral systemic delivery, polyNaut® avoids the payload limitations and immunogenicity challenges associated with viral vectors.
More than 20 million people globally are living with spinal cord injury, a condition associated with lifelong morbidity and lifetime costs that can exceed several million dollars per patient. Current treatment options are largely limited to rehabilitation and symptomatic management. Regenerative approaches are generating increasing momentum, but delivering therapeutic payloads to the right cells at the site of injury remains one of the field's greatest challenges.
The spinal cord injury programme builds on ViaNautis' broader CNS strategy, alongside a pipeline spanning immunology, oncology and respiratory diseases. Existing backers include 4BIO Capital, BGF and UCB Ventures, and ViaNautis holds strategic partnerships with Eli Lilly and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Spinal cord injury is one of the clearest examples of a disease area where delivery remains a key limiting factor. PolyNaut® was designed to precisely overcome these challenges by enabling targeted, non-viral systemic delivery of regenerative payloads to defined cell populations at or around the lesion site, while avoiding payload limitations and immunogenicity challenges associated with viral vectors. With the support of SCI Ventures, we are expanding our CNS portfolio into spinal cord injury and exploring how precise delivery can unlock new regenerative approaches for patients who continue to have very limited treatment options.
We are seeing many promising scientific advances in the laboratory but translating these discoveries into meaningful therapies remains a major challenge. What drew us to ViaNautis was the potential of its polyNaut® platform and precise targeting capabilities to overcome one of the most significant hurdles in spinal cord injury: delivery. We are excited to support the company's expansion into this important indication.
