Valora Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in immunotherapy, has successfully closed its seed funding round. The investment was co-led by Avalon BioVentures, Bregua Corporation, and TigerGene, with additional support from Alexandria Venture Investments and Correlation Ventures.
The funds will be used to advance Valora’s AbLec (Antibody-Lectin chimera) platform, which aims to restore proper immunological function by targeting specific sugar molecules on cells. This technology, licensed from Stanford University, has potential applications in oncology, autoimmune diseases, and other therapeutic areas. The platform builds on the work of Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, and Dr. Jessica Stark, a professor at MIT, both of whom are scientific founders and advisors for Valora.
“We are incredibly honored to partner with highly recognized investors and Valora’s scientific founders, Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi and Dr. Jessica Stark, to develop the AbLec platform as a trailblazing approach for next-generation immunomodulators,” said Miguel Garcia-Guzman, Ph.D., CEO of Valora. “This funding allows us to accelerate our R&D efforts, optimizing the AbLec platform and advancing AbLec therapeutics toward the clinic.”
Dr. Stark added, “The AbLec platform represents a significant leap forward in manipulating glycoimmunology and unlocking new paradigms in immunotherapy. I look forward to providing scientific support to Valora as it advances lead molecules toward clinical development.”
The seed funding will enable Valora to explore the full potential of the AbLec platform, advance lead molecules into preclinical development, and establish R&D operations at the Avalon BioVentures Accelerator in San Diego, California.
Sandy Madigan, Ph.D., Managing Partner at Avalon BioVentures and a Board Member of Valora, expressed excitement about co-leading the seed funding round. “We believe Valora has the team and resources to lead the development of novel AbLec therapeutics and to rapidly advance this groundbreaking technology toward the clinic.”
Stefan Heller, Ph.D., representing Bregua Corporation on the Board of Valora, added, “We are excited to collaborate with Valora’s team to advance the AbLec platform for developing novel therapies.”
Audrey Warner, Partner at TigerGene and Director of Valora, concluded, “We are very excited to partner with Valora’s team to explore the promise of glyco-immune checkpoint modulation and deliver innovative biological therapeutics to alleviate patient suffering across a multitude of indications.”