NeuVasQ Biotechnologies bags €20m in Series A financing

Brussels-Basel VC investor Newton Biocapital led the financing round with a €10m contribution from its Newton Biocapital I fund.  Another €10m came from regional and national Belgian funding agencies including SFPI-FPIM, SRIW Life Sciences, Sambrinvest and InvestSud.

NeuVasQ is a spin-off company from the group of Prof. Benoit Vanhollebekeaims at University Brussels. The company aims to repair neurovascular function in a range of disorders such as stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s by restoring the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which ich disrupted in many neurological disorders.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulates the exchange between the vascular system and central nervous system (CNS). Increased BBB permeability, due to age or injury, is involved in many neurological conditions through the leakage of harmful blood substances into the CNS. BBB dysfunction is a factor in many neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, as well as multiple acute neurological conditions like stroke and epilepsy.

Benoit Vanhollebeke, NeuVasQ’s scientific founder, said: “By precisely targeting the pathways responsible for BBB formation, we aim to restore lost functionality to the neurovasculature. NeuVasQ will further develop this unique and targeted approach which has the potential to safely improve patient lives in a wide range of neurological disorders.”

With its Series A funding, NeuVasQ aims to identify the most promising indications for clinical trials, focusing on a range of neurodegenerative disorders and acute neurological disorders. As part of these exploratory studies, NeuVasQ will also consider various therapeutic modalities, including gene and mRNA therapy.