Press release: 14.11.2024

Jülich-based biotech start-up SRTD biotech GmbH has successfully closed a seven-figure seed financing round. The company will use the fresh capital to accelerate the development of novel RNA therapeutics. Based on a proprietary platform technology, SRTD biotech aims to develop highly efficient RNA-based drugs that are active only in diseased cells. The round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), alongside renowned business angels who have backed the technology from its inception.

Dr Bernd Hoffmann, CEO of SRTD biotech, said: “If we can make RNA-based therapeutics effective only in diseased cells, we will be able to take the fear out of many diseases such as cancer. We are working to achieve this goal in the near future.”

Side effects are usually the critical factor that limits the effectiveness of drugs against cancer or viral diseases. SRTD biotech is the first company to develop RNA-based therapeutics that are active only in diseased cells. This significantly increases both the efficacy of the treatment and its tolerability. The company is using the novel approach of ‘selectively expressed RNAs’, or seRNAs, as a first step in the development of a therapy for liver cancer and is exploiting the possibilities of its modular platform technology for further development in the field of cancer therapeutics and beyond.

Dr Georg Lautscham, CFO, BD of SRTD biotech, adds: “As a platform technology, seRNAs are not limited to oncology, but offer a wide range of possibilities in other therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases. We will collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to further establish seRNAs as a new therapeutic modality and position SRTD as a preferred partner in this market in the future.”

With the closing of the seed financing round, SRTD biotech is able to confirm the robustness of the platform and to attract further partners. The aim is to bring drug candidates for liver cancer into clinical development within the next three years and to make the platform available for other applications.

Dr Angelika Vlachou, Partner at HTGF, comments: “Drug development is at a pivotal moment : genetic technologies can intervene in the disease process in a precise and highly efficient way and promise to enable therapies without side effects. We are delighted to support SRTD biotech in its efforts to become a leader in the rapidly evolving field of RNA-based therapeutics. As a seed investor, it is in our nature to support the development of early and disruptive technologies.”

About SRTD biotech
SRTD biotech was founded in Jülich by Dr Bernd Hoffmann and Dr Heribert Bohlen. The aim of the biotech start-up is to develop highly efficient RNA-based drugs based on a proprietary platform technology. The team consists of experts in molecular biology, cell biology, chemistry, translational sciences and business development. For further information please visit: https://srtd-biotech.com/.

Find more information here.

Image: SRTD biotech’s scientific team with co-founder Dr Bernd Hoffmann (third from right). Image rights: SRTD biotech