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The Renasant team

Kidney health biotech emerges with $54M to follow in Vertex’s footsteps

A Berkeley, CA-based biotech that wants to replicate Vertex’s success with corrector and potentiator medicines has raised a $54.5 million seed round. The funding, disclosed Thursday morning, will help Renasant Bio get closer to the clinic with small molecule treatment candidates for a leading cause of end-stage renal failure. Renasant is focused on hitting the disease-causing biology of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, or ADPKD. The condition is marked by cysts that form in the kidneys and can lead patients to use dialysis or resort to a kidney transplant. Renasant said 12 million people worldwide have ADPKD. Read post
Emily Conley

East Bay startup led by former 23andMe exec snags $54.5 million to target deadly kidney disease

Patients with a life-threatening genetic kidney condition often feel knocked out with an organ that can balloon to 30 pounds. Now a Berkeley biotech startup led by a former 23andMe executive plans to deliver a one-two punch of its own against the disease. Renasant Bio said Thursday it raised a $54.5 million seed round to create oral drugs targeting ADPKD, or autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. The condition, which fills the kidneys with cysts, is the leading genetic cause of end-stage kidney failure. Read post
The Renasant team

Renasant Bio launches to develop kidney disease treatment

Renasant Bio has launched with $54.5 million in seed financing to develop treatments for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), which causes severe kidney damage. The financing was led by venture capital firm 5AM VentureManagement, with additional funding from Atlas Venture, OrbiMed, and Qiming Venture Partners USA. Read post
Deocrative graphic with beanstalk and sun

Synthetic proteins are being built with the help of AI models

Others are taking a slightly different tack. Profluent, in Emeryville, California and EvolutionaryScale, in New York, are building protein-design AI models that resemble not image-generating software, but large language models (LLMs) of the sort that power the world’s chatbots. These firms’ models treat the amino-acid sequences in protein chains like the words in a piece of text—analysing relationships found in zillions of exemplars to design novel useful structures. According to Ali Madani, Profluent’s chief executive, the firm is particularly focused on creating new CRISPR-Cas gene-editing tools. Here, its USP is a curated database of around 5m CRISPR-Cas protein complexes on which its AI model has been trained in order to design new versions. Read post
Aikium receives the Nebius award onstage in the Netherlands

Aikium Wins Nebius AI Drug Discovery Award

Aikium targets “undruggable” proteins comprising half the human proteome using its Yotta-ML² platform. The company has secured partnerships with four organizations, including three top cancer hospitals, based on successful GPCR proof-of-concept work. Read post

Sampling Human Named as One of Top Five Emerging Startups Harnessing Single Cell Sequencing

Sampling Human genetically engineers yeasts to detect and classify specific cells such as cancer cells hidden within millions of other cells. They also allow users to measure RNA and protein levels in the target cells. This has the potential to supercharge liquid biopsies—the ability to detect cancer cells in the blood—by making them faster and more precise. Unlike traditional approaches, it does not require expensive equipment and specialist staff to use. Sampling Human raised $2 million in 2022 in a round led by i&i Biotech Fund to fuel its research and hire new staff. Read post

Cancer-fighting immune cells could soon be engineered inside our bodies

CAR T cells are among the most powerful therapies oncologists have to treat many types of blood cancer. And studies suggest that they might hold promise for brain cancer and other solid tumours, as well as autoimmune and other diseases. One research firm estimates that the value of the CAR-T-therapy market, expected to hit US$11 billion this year, will grow to nearly $190 billion by 2034. But CAR-T therapies come with a serious downside — they are laborious to make and difficult to administer. Some biotechnology companies have an answer: alter T cells inside the body instead...CRISPR–Cas9 pioneer and Nobel prizewinner Jennifer Doudna has co-founded a separate company, Azalea Therapeutics in Berkeley, California, that is developing in vivo CAR T. Read post
Abstract graphic with colored dots in shape of retina

Valitor Presents Multiple Preclinical Datasets on the Potential of its Innovative Anti-VEGF Therapy

“VLTR-559 was developed using our pioneering MVP technology platform and was designed to be an anti-VEGF therapy with increased potency and extended therapeutic duration compared to the current standard-of-care anti-VEGF biologics,” said Wesley Jackson, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Valitor. “Based on our clinical modeling from preclinical results, we anticipate VLTR-559 could enable a twice-yearly dosing regimen for patients with wet AMD, thereby improving long-term outcomes while also reducing the clinical costs required to treat this disease. We are making great progress through IND-enabling activities with the goal of initiating a Phase 1 clinical study next year. Additionally, we are excited by the broader potential of our MVP platform, which is based on our proprietary methods of combining large molecular weight hyaluronic acid biopolymers with diverse active pharmaceutical ingredients to create potent and long-acting drugs.” Read post
Keylika founders, Buddha Chaudhuri, CEO (left) and Frederik Ceyssens, CTO (right)

Keylika Develops World’s First Buccal Patch for Iron Deficiency Anemia

“Most people have no idea how debilitating iron deficiency anemia can be. As a critical micronutrient, iron has a foundational role to play in multiple biological processes in the body down to the cellular level, its uncorrected deficiency has far-reaching consequences,” says Buddha Chaudhuri, Ph.D., CEO of Biotech company, Keylika. After years working on drug delivery and medical devices, Keylika’s team has pioneered what could be a breakthrough solution: the world’s first buccal (oral) patch for treating iron deficiency. Read post

Bootstrapped Indian Startup Innovating Treatment for Eczema, Itch & Beyond

When personal health challenges inspire innovation, remarkable solutions can emerge. Such is the story behind NistuHeal, a breakthrough dermocosmetic product addressing eczema and chronic itch. After suffering from relentless eczema for a decade, Buddhadev "Buddha" Chaudhuri, Ph.D. and CEO of Keylika, turned his scientific expertise toward creating a better treatment. What began as a kitchen experiment has evolved into a successful family-run enterprise delivering relief to thousands across India. Read post
Picture of GigaCorp members

Forbes: A Possible Step-Change for Plant Growth By Upgrading Photosynthesis

GigaCrop was founded by CEO Chris Eiben in 2020 as part of a fellowship with the Berkeley Lab Cyclotron Road program in partnership with non-profit Activate funded by the U.S. DOE., and today (March 11th 2025) they announced $4.5 million of pre-seed round funding led by a venture capital group in California called Playground Global. Read post
Three people standing in front of a Cyclarity banner

PitchBook Report – Emerging Space Brief: Longevity Tech

Standout deals include NewLimit’s $72.3 million raise to advance epigenetic rejuvenation and Cyclarity Therapeutics’ $10.3 million round to push forward its senolytic platform. Despite regulatory gray areas and a long road to clinical validation, momentum is building as longevity biotech shifts from speculative science to a potential cornerstone of future healthcare. Read post
Representative images of Netherton Syndrome mice treated daily with either standard of care (left) or RVB-003 (right). Mice treated with RVB-003 show resolution of excessive protease activity, normalization of inflammation, marked reduction in epidermal hyperplasia, and ultimately a restoration of a healthy skin barrier.

ResVita Bio Announces RVB-003 granted Orphan Drug Designation for Netherton Syndrome by the FDA

ResVita Bio, a therapeutics company focused on treatments for skin diseases, today announced that the FDA awarded the Orphan Drug Designation to RVB-003 for the treatment of Netherton Syndrome, a chronic and life-threatening skin disorder. This milestone, following the FDAs previous granting of the Rare Pediatric Disease Designation, underscores the impact of ResVita Bio's new platform for continuous protein therapy—a groundbreaking therapeutic approach designed to deliver sustained drug levels directly to the skin, supporting both greater efficacy and improved safety over other topicals. Read post
mother with her child in a farm

Verinomics Introduces Transgene-Free Gene Editing and Genomic-Driven Accelerated Breeding Platforms for Specialty Crops

Verinomics, a leader in agricultural genomics and gene editing, today unveiled two breakthrough platforms designed to accelerate specialty crop innovation: Genesis™, a transgene-free gene editing platform, primarily for vegetatively propagated crops and Genova™, a genomic-driven breeding acceleration platform for both seed and vegetatively propagated crops. Together, these technologies streamline trait discovery and product development, delivering high-value, market-ready crops faster than ever before. Read post