Aptadir Therapeutics Closes €40 Million Seed Round

Aptadir Therapeutics has closed a €40 million seed round to advance a new class of RNA inhibitor-based therapies for intractable genetic disorders. London-based 4BIO Capital led the financing, the company announced on 1 October 2026.

The round pulled in a broad syndicate. Pre-seed investor Extend participated — the Italian National Technology Transfer Centre promoted by CDP Venture Capital and co-financed by Angelini Ventures and Evotec SE. CDP Venture Capital also invested directly through its Digital Transition Fund, alongside Indaco Venture Partners (via Indaco Bio Structure and Indaco Bio Parallel Lombardia), XGEN Venture, CE-Ventures, Angelini Ventures with a direct investment, Kerna Ventures, Italian Angels for Biotech and Club degli Investitori.

The capital will fund Aptadir's pipeline of experimental RNA therapies with disease-modifying potential. The lead candidate, CAP1-FMR1, targets Fragile X syndrome.

The company's technology rests on a specific scientific claim: the discovery of a new class of RNA capable of blocking aberrant DNA methylation at the single-gene level, published in Di Ruscio A et al 2013 in Nature and Esposito CL et al 2023 in Nature Communications. By reversing this abnormal gene silencing, Aptadir's RNA-based inhibitors reactivate gene expression and restore normal biological function. The company says it has demonstrated this effect in complex disease models derived from patient tissues.

Aptadir's molecules are known as DNMTs Interacting RNAs, or DiRs. They act on specific genes silenced in tumours and genetic diseases.

The platform grew out of research by a group of scientists in RNA biology, genetic diseases, leukaemia and immunotherapy: Annalisa Di Ruscio and Daniel Tenen of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Vittorio de Franciscis of Italy's National Research Council and Marcin Kortylewsky of the City of Hope National Medical Centre.

Founder and CEO Giovanni Amabile framed the raise as validation of both the science and the team. "The size of this seed round reflects the great potential of our DiRs technology and the calibre of our truly international scientific team," Amabile said in a statement. "Originating in world-class institutions, the discovery of this new class of RNA inhibitors has represented a breakthrough not only from a scientific perspective, but also because it offers new hope to patients suffering from conditions that have for years been considered incurable. With the support of our investors, we now have the opportunity to develop a pipeline of experimental drugs capable of restoring the function of specific genes that for decades have been considered irreversibly silenced."

Dima Kuzmin, managing partner at 4BIO Capital, pointed to the rarity of the underlying science. "Finding a truly innovative science with such potential is a rare occurrence," Kuzmin said. "We are delighted to support this new therapeutic approach, which could give rise to a range of treatments targeting disease mechanisms that have not yet been fully addressed by existing drugs. The founding team behind this science is world-renowned, and the technology developed by the company has the potential to change patients' lives. We are convinced that all the right factors are in place – from the science to the management team – to take this platform through to the clinical phase."

Claudia Pingue, head of the Technology Transfer Fund at CDP Venture Capital and chair of Extend, described the investor's early and continued backing. "Extend's aim is to identify opportunities in translational drug discovery and contribute to their development," Pingue said. "We recognised the strength of Aptadir's scientific research right from the start: that is why we chose to set up the company as a spin-off and to invest from the very earliest, highest-risk stages – first with pre-seed funding and now with this significant seed round. We are proud that this line of research is attracting further investment from international partners and we will continue to support the company on its growth journey."

The €40 million commitment now puts the burden on Aptadir to move CAP1-FMR1 and the broader DiRs portfolio toward the clinic, with 4BIO Capital betting the science and management are in place to get there.