4BIO Capital leads €40 Million ($45M) seed financing of Aptadir Therapeutics to advance first-in-class demethylating medicines

• Funds will advance novel class of RNA inhibitors to reverse intractable genetic conditions 
• Seed led by 4BIO Capital with follow-on participation from the company's original pre-seed investor EXTEND (CDP Venture Capital SGR, Angelini Ventures and Evotec SE)
• Science originates from three leading institutions – the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Italian Research National Council (CNR) and the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore
  
  

London, United Kingdom, 29 September 2026 – 4BIO Capital, a specialist biotech venture firm transforming innovative technologies into breakthrough precision therapies, today announces that it has led a EUR 40M Seed round in Aptadir Therapeutics (Aptadir).

The funds will be used to advance Aptadir’s pipeline of disease-modifying investigational RNA therapeutics, including its lead candidate, CAP1-FMR1 for Fragile X Syndrome. Aptadir’s technology is based on the landmark discovery of a new class of RNAs, which are capable of blocking aberrant DNA methylation at a single gene level.^1,2 By reversing this abnormal gene silencing, Aptadir’s RNA inhibitors can reactivate gene expression and restore normal biological function, an effect Aptadir has demonstrated in patient-derived disease models.

Dima Kuzmin, Managing Partner of lead investor, 4BIO Capital, added: “Finding truly innovative new science with such potential is exactly what we look for at 4BIO Capital. We invest with conviction where rigorous biology meets real unmet medical need and Aptadir’s platform does exactly that. We are delighted to back this novel modality that can give rise to multiple therapeutics addressing previously entirely undruggable disease mechanisms. The group of founders behind the science are world-renowned, and we are confident that the right factors are in place, from the science to the management team, to take this potentially life changing technology forward into the clinic.”

Aptadir is developing a portfolio of drug candidates based on this proprietary technology. The molecules, called DNMTs Interacting RNAs (DiRs), target specific genes that are silenced in cancer and genetic disorders. The technology is based on the findings of an international group of renowned scientists in the fields of RNA and DNA biology, genetic disorders, leukemia and immunotherapeutics including Annalisa Di Ruscio and Daniel Tenen from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Vittorio de Franciscis of the Italian Research National Council, Marcin Kortylewsky of City of Hope National Medical Center.

The round was led by 4BIO Capital, with follow-on participation from the company's original pre-seed investor, the EXTEND Initiative, Italy's National Technology Transfer Hub, launched by CDP Venture Capital SGR and jointly funded by Angelini Ventures and Evotec SE. New investors include CDP Venture Capital (through the Digital Transition Fund and funded with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2021–2027 Regional Programme of the Lombardy Region, Xgen Ventures, Indaco Bio, through the Indaco Bio Fund and Bio Lombardia FundCE-Ventures, Angelini Ventures through direct investment, Kerna Ventures, Italian Angels for Biotech and the members of Club degli Investitori, through Simon Fiduciaria S.p.A.

Giovanni Amabile, CEO, said: “The magnitude of this seed round reflects the exciting potential of our DiRs technology and the quality of a truly international scientific team. Originating from world-class institutions, the discovery of this new class of RNA inhibitors was a landmark event not only from a scientific point of view, but also for providing newfound hope for patients affected by intractable disorders. With the backing of our investors, we now have the opportunity to develop a pipeline of drug candidates with the potential to restore genetic pathways that, for decades, have been considered irreversibly silenced.”

-ENDS-

1. Di Ruscio A et al 2013, Nature
2. Esposito CL et al 2023, Nature Communication

About 4BIO Capital

4BIO Capital is a global specialist biotech venture firm investing in breakthrough technologies that solve critical healthcare challenges. 4BIO partners with visionary biotech founders, investing with conviction and serving as a therapeutic navigator to guide the transformation of scientific innovation into life-changing therapies. The 4BIO team are specialists with deep scientific expertise and proven commercial track records, strategically matched to portfolio companies that align with their specific areas of knowledge. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn and X @4biocapital and visit www.4biocapital.com.

About Aptadir Therapeutics

Aptadir Therapeutics is a preclinical biotech company developing a new class of RNA therapeutics. The Company’s therapeutic focus is underserved intractable cancers and genetic conditions, including underserved intractable conditions in the oncology and rare diseases fields such as Fragile X Syndrome and Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

The technology was developed and validated by a group of key opinion leaders in the field of RNA therapeutics based at three world class institutions: the Harvard Medical School, Cancer Science institute of Singapore, Italian CNR Institute and City of Hope National Medical Center. The platform is based on a landmark discovery of a new class of RNA inhibitors called DNMTs Interacting RNAs (DiRs)^1,2. DiRs are capable of blocking aberrant DNA methylation at a single gene level reactivating previously hypermethylated genes – a key feature in cancer and genetic disorders.

The first programme is developing a treatment for Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes intellectual disability, learning difficulties and developmental delays. Fragile X Syndrome is caused by the silencing of the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome, resulting in the loss or significant reduction of FMRP, a protein essential for normal brain development and function. To find out more, please see: www.aptadir.com

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