
Versantis co-founders Meriam Kabbaj and Dr. Vincent Forster
Our portfolio company Versantis (Redalpine Capital III), a clinical-stage biotech company developing disruptive therapies for rare liver and pediatric diseases, announced the successful completion of an oversubscribed CHF 16 million Series B round led by Swisscanto Invest. Existing backers such as Redalpine and HealthEquity also participated significantly.
The proceeds will be mainly used to assess the safety of its lead compound VS-01 and establish its clinical proof of concept in the decompensated liver cirrhosis indication as well as in the rare Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) patient population. The respective first-in-human trial was initiated earlier this year with outcomes expected mid-2020.
Dr Vincent Forster, CEO and Co-founder of Versantis, commented: “We are thrilled to receive the support and partnership from this group of top-tier life science investors to help us achieve our mission. With this funding, we aim to demonstrate VS-01 clinical benefit and position Versantis as a key pioneer in the care of serious liver diseases.”
Versantis is developing a platform technology that makes novel use of pH-gradient liposomes that have been explored in the context of drug delivery for decades. The big idea is to flip the technology on its head, using the liposomes to capture toxins rather than release drugs. This led Versantis to explore the use of its liposomes as tools to protect patients with liver disease. Redalpine congratulates the entire Versantis team on this closing and looks forward to the next steps together.
For more information, please visit Versantis’ website or check out the coverage on BusinessWire and FierceBiotech.