Astraveus raises €16.5 Million Series Seed round to advance the development of its microfluidic Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing platform
Key highlights:
- Company emerges from stealth with financing led by AdBio partners, co-syndicated with M Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC Inc., and Bpifrance Large Venture to advance their ground-breaking cell and gene therapy manufacturing solution.
- World leading technology miniaturises and automates cell and gene therapy manufacturing in a unique, modular, end-to-end, microfluidic solution that mimics the function of natural systems.
- Potential to transform patient access to life-changing therapies.
Astraveus SAS (Astraveus), the creator of modular, microfluidic cell foundries that transform cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing, today exited stealth with the completion of an oversubscribed €16.5 million Series Seed financing led by AdBio partners, co-syndicated with M Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC Inc., and Bpifrance Large Venture.
Astraveus is revolutionising the field of CGT manufacturing with its Lakhesys platform, an end-to-end cell foundry that uses deep process optimisation and single-use, microfluidic bioprocessors to deliver better results with reduced inputs. By removing the need for large-scale infrastructure, reducing costs and processing time, and overcoming the logistical challenges associated with CGT manufacturing, Astraveus is seeking to considerably widen patient access to these life-changing therapies. The recently completed financing will allow Astraveus to significantly advance the development of its technology and expand the team.
At the innovative core of Lakhesys are microfluidic bioprocessors, which mimic organ perfusion and significantly accelerate the molecular exchanges needed to sustain and transform cells into potent therapeutic agents. The high degree of precision and miniaturisation enabled by microfluidic bioprocessors allow more efficient manufacturing, reducing labour, floor space and energy requirements, thereby generating less waste and making the process far cheaper and greener.
While CGT is a young market, it has received considerable investment - an average of >$18 billion per year since 2020 - but the high per patient cost of up to $2m has been a brake on both development of new therapies and deployment of those already identified. By minimising the changes between process development and the clinic, and offering an immediate modular scalability, Lakhesys saves critical time and cost, and has the potential to transform both clinical research and manufacturing of approved products, accelerating the adoption of CGTs.
Jérémie Laurent, Founder and CEO of Astraveus, said: "Astraveus has an ambitious vision to revolutionise the development and commercialisation of cell and gene therapies. By reducing costs, increasing precision and driving scalability, we are enabling the realisation of the full potential of these therapies and making them accessible to a far wider audience of patients."
Laurent Higueret, Senior Investment Director at Bpifrance Large Venture, commented: "We are thrilled to join such a great syndicate of expert and long-term investors, and contribute to accelerating this great story in the making. The company‘s cutting-edge, next generation CGT platform holds the promise of dramatically reducing vein-to-vein times for patients in need of cell therapy products, thus positioning the company as a key player in its field. Astraveus perfectly fits our mission to turn most disruptive technologies into great entrepreneurial successes.”
Following the fundraising, Alain Huriez of Adbio partners, Christian Uhrich of M Ventures, Fiona MacLaughlin of JJDC Inc., and Laurent Higueret of Bpifrance Large Venture will be joining the board of Astraveus.