NAVAN Closes Seed Funding Round
Investors include Amgen Ventures, HTGF and Hemi Ventures
NAVAN Technologies, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company enabling the development of next generation cell and gene therapies through its novel, non-viral NanoStraw platform, announced it had closed a seed investment round led by Amgen Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Hemi Ventures, and other institutional and private investors. Based on technology exclusively licensed from Stanford University, NAVAN is also supported by a National Science Foundation STTR Phase II award and is a resident company at JLABS @ SSF located at Oyster Point in South San Francisco, CA. The investment proceeds will be used to further NanoStraw platform development, scale-up production capabilities, and facilitate strategic collaborations and partnerships to accelerate the development of therapeutics programs.
Michael J. Nowak, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NAVAN, stated, “Our NanoStraw technology provides direct intracellular access into hard-to-transfect human primary cells for the efficient delivery of any cargo into any cell. By using a physical, non-perturbative delivery mechanism (Nano-injection) for cell transformation, we remove many of the challenges presented by viral-based cell manufacturing while preserving cell function and viability.”
Dr. Lena Krzyzak, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF, added: “We are excited about NAVAN’s vision to facilitate cell and gene therapies. With the ability to accelerate new therapy development and the promise of scalable yet local cell engineering and manufacturing, NanoStraws will greatly decrease costs, making cell and gene therapies much more affordable and accessible.”
“Without cargo size limitations and the ability to deliver multiple different cargos into any cell, NAVAN is providing a universal solution for intracellular access while maintaining high cell quality, functionality and viability – critical for the efficacy and durability of these new therapies,” said Dr. Nowak. “Our mission is to enable high-quality, affordable and accessible point-of-care cell therapies for all patients.”
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Genetic diseases once considered untreatable are now at the center of innovative therapeutic approaches. Research and development of gene therapies in biotech and pharma aim to directly correct or replace defective or missing genes to combat disease at the molecular level. This revolutionary approach promises not only to treat symptoms, but to eliminate the cause of the disease itself.
Topic world Gene therapy
Genetic diseases once considered untreatable are now at the center of innovative therapeutic approaches. Research and development of gene therapies in biotech and pharma aim to directly correct or replace defective or missing genes to combat disease at the molecular level. This revolutionary approach promises not only to treat symptoms, but to eliminate the cause of the disease itself.
