HERVolution Therapeutics, a biotech company, has raised $11.7 million in Series A funding to advance its lead assets towards clinical evaluation. The funding was led by the Serum Institute of India and included participation from the European Innovation Council Fund and other investors. The company is developing immunotherapies targeting human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which are genetic remnants of ancient viral infections integrated into the human genome. HERVs have been linked to various diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and may play a role in the aging process.
The company’s lead candidate, IPT-001, is a dual adenoviral vector immune therapy that has shown robust preclinical data and is expected to enter clinical trials in 2025. The company is also developing IPT-002, an mRNA vector expressing its proprietary HERV antigen, which may enable repeat dosing and maintenance of anti-HERV immune responses. The funding will support further validation, cGMP manufacturing, Phase 1 studies, and infrastructure expansion to support clinical trials. The company’s CEO and Founder/CSO believe that the financing represents a significant milestone and signals strong support for the potential of HERVs to tackle pressing challenges in cancer, metabolic disease, and aging.