Cyclana Bio Secures £5M to Pioneer Tissue-Level Drug Discovery for Endometriosis
Key Insights
Cyclana Bio (search) raised £5M in pre-seed funding co-led by NfX (search) and Eka VC (search) to advance its tissue-level therapeutic platform for women's health, starting with endometriosis (search) drug discovery.
The company has identified the role of extracellular matrix (search) dysregulation in endometriosis (search), targeting tissue-level mechanisms that previous intracellular-focused approaches have failed to address effectively.
Cyclana Bio (search)'s platform utilizes menstrual fluid donations from clinical trials and AI-driven data integration to develop whole tissue disease models and identify novel druggable targets.
Cyclana Bio (search), a Cambridge-based biotechnology company, announced the completion of a £5M pre-seed funding round to advance its pioneering tissue-level approach to drug discovery for endometriosis (search). The round was co-led by NfX (search) and Eka VC (search), with participation from Cocoa VC (search), Wilbe (search), and angel investors.
The funding will enable Cyclana Bio (search) to develop functional disease models and scale its platform dedicated to revolutionizing women's health through tissue-level therapeutics. The company is initially focused on discovering treatments for endometriosis (search), a chronic and debilitating condition affecting 1 in 10 women worldwide.
Novel Approach Targets Extracellular Matrix Dysfunction
Cyclana Bio (search) has demonstrated the critical role of the extracellular matrix (search) (ECM) in endometriosis (search) pathophysiology. The company's research shows that dysregulation of the ECM causes inflammation and loss of tissue function in endometriosis patients. This represents a significant departure from traditional drug development strategies, which have focused on intracellular mechanisms and failed to target the interaction between cells and the ECM, resulting in sub-optimal treatment efficacy.
"Our mission at Cyclana is not just to close the gender health gap but propel women to the forefront of drug discovery," said Dr. Léa Wenger, CEO and Co-Founder of Cyclana Bio (search). "We are redefining how therapies are developed, starting with the basic science, by zooming out and studying disease at the level where it truly emerges: the tissue itself."
Innovative Platform Leverages Clinical Samples and AI
The company's platform harnesses menstrual fluid received from donations through an observational clinical trial, combined with lab-based modeling to uncover early biomarkers of disease and identify novel targets for drug development. Cyclana Bio (search) utilizes AI-driven multi-scale data integration to enable the discovery of druggable targets aimed at improving treatment outcomes.
Despite endometriosis (search) affecting millions of women globally, the disease physiology remains poorly understood and treatment options remain limited. Cyclana Bio (search) is addressing this significant unmet medical need by developing physiologically relevant models that better represent the complex tissue-level mechanisms underlying the condition.
Broader Implications for Chronic Disease Treatment
Professor Kevin Chalut, CSO and Co-Founder of Cyclana Bio (search), emphasized the transformative potential of the company's approach. "Our goal is not just to develop new treatments, but to change the framework of biomedical discovery itself," he said. "By starting with women's health, we're addressing one of the greatest unmet needs in medicine. In doing so, we will not only cure a debilitating disease many women suffer from, we will also set the stage for a broader transformation in how we understand and treat chronic disease."
Initially focused on endometriosis (search), Cyclana Bio (search)'s whole tissue-based methodology represents a promising approach to address other underserved chronic inflammatory diseases (search) that share similar tissue-level mechanisms. The company's patient-centered model, built through venture capital financing, positions it to generate a robust pipeline of new treatments for clinical development.
Dr. Wenger noted the responsibility that comes with this funding approach: "By raising venture capital as our first source of financing, we are building a model with the consumer, the patient, at the centre. We now have not only the privilege but also the responsibility to generate the best pipeline to bring new treatments to the clinic."