Adjuvia Therapeutics Raises $8 Million Seed Round to Advance Mitochondrial Therapy ATI-105 Toward Clinical Trials
Key Insights
Adjuvia Therapeutics (search) closed an $8 million Series Seed financing led by JLO Ventures (search) to advance its lead mitochondrial disease candidate ATI-105 (search) into clinical development.
The company plans to submit an IND application in summer 2026, initiate a Phase I trial in healthy volunteers in fall 2026, and begin a Phase I/II study in Friedreich's ataxia (search) patients in early 2027.
ATI-105 (search) is a blood-brain barrier-penetrant lipid nanoparticle formulation of a novel astaxanthin molecule designed to deliver antioxidant activity directly to mitochondria.
San Francisco-based Adjuvia Therapeutics (search) has closed an $8 million Series Seed financing round to advance its lead mitochondrial disease therapy candidate, ATI-105 (search), into clinical development. The company, founded in 2023, plans to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application later this summer, with a Phase I trial in healthy volunteers targeted for fall 2026 and a Phase I/II study in patients with Friedreich's ataxia (search) (FA) planned for early 2027.
JLO Ventures (search) led the round, with Portfolia Ventures (search) and a group of undisclosed biopharmaceutical industry executives also participating. Adjuvia previously received incubator-stage backing from MBC BioLabs (search), a San Francisco life sciences incubator, before closing this seed round.
"This financing marks an important milestone for Adjuvia as we prepare to bring ATI-105 (search) into the clinic," the company stated. "Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to many rare and chronic diseases, but treatment options remain limited. We believe ATI-105 has the potential to address the underlying biology of mitochondrial disease, and this investment will allow us to begin clinically evaluating its safety and therapeutic potential."
ATI-105: A BBB-Penetrant Mitochondrial Antioxidant
ATI-105 (search) is a proprietary blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrant lipid nanoparticle formulation of a novel astaxanthin molecule, designed to deliver antioxidant activity directly to mitochondria in the central nervous system and peripheral organs. The oral therapy is engineered to address several biological problems simultaneously, including oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, tissue damage, and reduced organ function.
In preclinical studies across multiple mitochondrial disease models, ATI-105 (search) demonstrated reductions in reactive oxygen species and chronic inflammation, alongside evidence of cellular repair, improved organ function, and longer lifespan, according to the company. These findings have not yet been confirmed in human clinical trials.
Friedreich's Ataxia and the Treatment Landscape
Friedreich's ataxia (search), the lead indication for ATI-105 (search), is a rare inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by frataxin (search) deficiency that leads to mitochondrial iron accumulation and severe oxidative stress. The only currently approved treatment for FA is omaveloxolone (Skyclarys), marketed by Reata Pharmaceuticals (search), which received U.S. FDA approval in 2023.
Adjuvia's longer-term pipeline includes an additional program based on an epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) nanoparticle formulation using the same BBB-penetrant lipid nanoparticle delivery architecture, targeting broader mitochondrial dysfunction in conditions including age-related chronic disease and fertility disorders. The company said the platform is designed to be payload-agnostic, enabling pipeline expansion without rebuilding the underlying delivery system.
Proceeds from the financing will support the IND submission for ATI-105 (search) and fund initiation of the planned clinical studies.