By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN
Life Science Nation (LSN) is pleased to introduce the investor panel lineup for RESI Europe, bringing together venture capital firms, family offices, corporate investors, and strategic partners actively funding and partnering across the global life science ecosystem. Designed to reflect how capital is being deployed today, these panels examine what investors are prioritizing, how partnership decisions are made, and what founders need to demonstrate to stand out in an increasingly selective market.
From pharma partnering and preclinical investing to digital health, medtech, and cross-border capital flows, the RESI Europe investor program offers a practical look at how decisions are being made across stages and sectors. Each session pairs candid investor perspectives with real-world expectations founders must meet to advance conversations beyond the first meeting.
Monday, March 23 – Investor Panels
9:00 – 9:50 AM | Pharma Partnering: Getting on Pharma’s Radar
As large pharmaceutical companies increasingly rely on external innovation, early-stage partnerships are becoming a core driver of pipeline growth. This session explores how pharma evaluates emerging science, which data packages resonate with business development teams, and how founders can structure partnership discussions that align with long-term strategic priorities.
10:00 – 10:50 AM | Funding New Science: How VCs Evaluate Preclinical Programs
With capital efficiency under intense scrutiny, therapeutic investors are rethinking how they assess risk and differentiation at the preclinical stage. Panelists will share how they evaluate programs ahead of clinical data, the milestones that matter most, and what founders must show to compete in today’s Series A environment.
11:00 – 11:50 AM | Family Offices: The Rise of the Venture Builder
Family offices have evolved into active healthcare investors, launching dedicated funds and building internal operating expertise. This discussion examines how these groups source deals, lead early-stage rounds, and make investment decisions differently from traditional institutional venture firms.
1:00 – 1:50 PM | Building Investable Medtech: Devices, Diagnostics, and De-risking
Investors in medtech are focused on solutions that combine technical innovation with clear clinical and regulatory pathways. This panel breaks down current investor interest across devices and diagnostics, highlighting the milestones that signal scalability and commercial readiness.
2:00 – 2:50 PM | Digital Health: Moving from Hype to Sustainable Value
As the digital health sector matures, investors are prioritizing solutions with measurable clinical and economic outcomes. Panelists will discuss where capital is being deployed, including AI-driven diagnostics and data platforms, and how companies can demonstrate long-term viability in real-world settings.
3:00 – 3:50 PM | Capital Without Borders: The European Life Science Landscape
Europe’s research ecosystem continues to produce world-class innovation, while investment dynamics increasingly span borders. This session explores how European life science companies can attract international capital, navigate regional differences, and compete on a global stage.
4:00 – 4:50 PM | Backing the First Believers: Deciding to Write the First Check
Pre-seed and formation-stage investors often commit capital before significant data exists, backing teams, vision, and early signals of execution. This panel examines how first-check investors assess founders, build conviction, and help shape companies into institutional-grade opportunities.
These investor panels are designed to foster meaningful dialogue between capital providers and innovators, creating informed conversations that continue beyond the stage and into partnering meetings.
Join the RESI Speaker Lineup
Are you an investor or strategic partner with valuable insights to share with early-stage life science companies? We are looking for dynamic speakers to join our RESI panels.
Interview with Paula Cerqueira, VP of Scientific Strategy
Sania Therapeutics is developing a next-generation gene therapy platform focused on treating neurological symptoms driven by dysfunctional neural circuits. At RESI London, the company was recognized as a Third-Place winner in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge and received the highest score from the judging panel, underscoring strong investor interest in its controllable and circuit-specific approach to gene therapy. In this interview, Sania Therapeutics shares its therapeutic focus, differentiated platform, and how participation in RESI has helped shape ongoing conversations with investors and strategic partners.
Caitlin Dolegowski (CD): For those just discovering Sania Therapeutics, how do you describe your company and therapeutic focus? Paula Cerqueira (PC): Sania Therapeutics is developing a new class of controllable gene therapies designed to treat neurological symptoms driven by dysfunctional neural circuits. Our platform combines localized, low-dose AAV delivery that selectively targets specific neuronal subpopulations with patient-controlled activation, allowing us to precisely modulate hyperactive neurons, improving symptoms without adversely and permanently altering normal neural function.
Our initial therapeutic target is a motor circuit disorder: spasticity. Our broader goal is to expand into additional motor and sensory indications where current treatment options are limited, invasive, or poorly tolerated.
CD: What unmet medical need are you addressing, and what differentiates your approach? PC: Millions of people live with debilitating neurological symptoms such as spasticity and pain disorders, yet existing treatments are often temporary, blunt, or invasive. Oral drugs frequently cause systemic side effects, while interventions like Botox or implanted devices require repeated procedures and provide limited relief. Despite the scale of this unmet need, there has been little meaningful innovation in this area for more than a decade.
Sania’s approach is differentiated in two key ways. First, our proprietary platform enables selective targeting of the neural circuits that drive disease using localized, low-dose AAV delivery. This approach is intended to support a safer, more sustainable, and more scalable path for gene therapy than traditional systemic delivery.
Second, our therapy is controllable. Patients can adjust the therapeutic effect using an oral activator, allowing symptom modulation over time. This puts patients in control while enabling precise and flexible therapeutic regulation.
Our mission at Sania is to bring gene therapy into everyday clinical use by meaningfully improving the lives of people living with neurological conditions. While this is an ambitious goal, for patients who struggle daily with basic activities such as holding a child, we believe this approach has the potential to be truly transformative.
CD: What was your experience participating in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI London? PC: Participating in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI London was an extremely valuable experience. The format encouraged clarity and discipline in how we communicated both our science and long-term vision, and the audience questions reflected a high level of engagement from investors and industry leaders.
Being recognized as a Third Place (First Place among judges in our session) winner among a strong and diverse group of companies was particularly meaningful, and it reinforced that there is a strong interest in approaches that rethink how gene therapy can be applied beyond ultra-rare indications.
CD: How has the RESI platform influenced conversations with investors or strategic partners? PC: RESI offered a valuable opportunity to present our work to a broad set of investors and strategic partners and to test our messaging with a highly informed audience. While many groups are understandably focused on later-stage opportunities, the platform helped us refine our positioning and identify areas of alignment for future conversations as the company progresses.
Following the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge, we also initiated early, informal conversations that we expect to build on as the company continues to mature.
CD: Where does Sania Therapeutics currently stand in terms of fundraising or partnerships? PC: Sania Therapeutics is currently focused on advancing its lead spasticity program and platform toward key preclinical and IND-enabling milestones, while continuing to expand the broader platform supporting multiple motor and sensory indications.
In parallel, we are building relationships with investors and strategic partners aligned with our long-term vision. As the platform matures and data advances, we expect to raise funding to support clinical entry of our lead program and the continued development of additional programs enabled by the platform, and we welcome conversations with groups interested in engaging early.
CD: What upcoming milestones are most important for the company? PC: Our near-term focus is on advancing our lead spasticity program across regulatory and manufacturing activities and initiating IND-enabling studies in 2026. Reaching that point will significantly de-risk the program and position us well as we move this innovative approach toward the clinic.
In parallel, we are making meaningful progress on platform development to support expansion into additional motor and sensory indications. A key goal for the team this year is to validate our first sensory capsid in vivo, leveraging the same delivery and control principles demonstrated in our lead program.
Applications are now open for the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI Europe. Life science and health tech companies seeking targeted feedback from a dedicated group of coordinated investors are encouraged to apply to participate in interactive pitching, partnering, and one-to-one meetings at RESI Europe.
As is customary at the turn of the year, we have taken the opportunity to take a look back at financing deals we covered since issue#1, which went live in April last year. Together, these data offer a snapshot of how capital flowed into early-stage, preclinical therapeutic startups in 2025 — and where it did not.
Before diving into the numbers, it is worth qualifying that this analysis captures only publicly disclosed financing rounds, rather than the full universe of early-stage biotech funding. An increasing fraction of preclinical companies now operate in stealth, in part because of fast-moving competition from regions such as China. As a result, the figures presented here likely undercount the true level of early-stage activity.
From the start of our coverage in Q2 2025 through the end of December, we reported 195 preclinical financing rounds. Because Haystack Science focuses on discovery-stage and pre-IND companies, this number excludes financings for assets already in clinical development. Even so, the dataset provides a useful lens on early-stage investor behavior.
Independent industry analyses paint a consistent picture. Multiple sources indicate that 2025 was a year in which venture capital shifted toward later-stage, clinical-stage deals, which were fewer in number but larger in size. This trend was reinforced by ‘Q4 2025 Biopharma Licensing and Venture Report’, presented at the JP Morgan conference. According to JP Morgan, 2025 saw just 191 seed and Series A financings, the lowest total since 2020.
Seed and Series A investment slowed through Q4 2025, losing momentum built earlier in the year and further lagging Series B and later rounds. The slowdown in early-stage funding reflects heightened diligence standards and longer decision timelines for early-stage startups. Source: JP Morgan
According to the Haystack Science data sample, no venture fund made a series A investment in more than three companies last year (these series A financings ranged from $8–300 million, with a median of $42.5 million). As the deals that Haystack tracks are only the publicly disclosed subset, we expect our sample is skewed to companies that raised larger sums. In the deals we tracked, the most bloated series A ($300 million) went to Cambridge, Mass.-based Lila Sciences, a generative ML model powered startup building “autonomous, closed-loop experimentation using generative ML models to generate drug mechanism hypotheses, test them robotically in the lab with minimal human intervention, and iteratively learn from results.” Lila was backed by megafund Flagship Pioneering and General Catalyst.
21 funds invested in more than one series A round. These were: Arch Ventures, Atlas Venture, Lightstone Ventures, 3E Bioventures, Access Industries/Biotechnology, BGF, BVF Partners, Canaan Partners, Cormorant Asset Management, Dementia Discovery Fund, Eight Roads, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Khosla, Omega Funds, Orbimed, Polaris Partners, Samsara, Santé Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, The Column Group, and Versant Ventures. No fund invested in more than 3 series A investments in last year’s sample.
Further back in the pipeline, we tracked 60 deals. These seed financings—which ranged from $1.1–54.5 million with a median of $10.45 million—were mostly for smaller amounts ($1–$30 million), with a few much larger financing amounts. Overall, 85 different funds, family offices, angels and individuals participated in funding preclinical therapeutic startups in 2025. Of these 85 sources of financing, only 7 financed more than one company. The takeaway from this is that most (>90%) of companies at the seed stage receive funds from a completely unique set of investors.
The 7 financing entities involved in more than one seed deal were: AdBio Partners, Kurma Partners, NRW Bank, Ackermans & van Haaren (AvH), Bioinnovation Institute (BII), ClavystBio and ExSight Ventures. It is noteworthy that two of these funds are based in Paris, France: AdBio Partners and Kurma Partners. AdBio specializes in early-stage investments across Europe with a ~€86 million ($102 million) fund raised in 2021 focusing on oncology, immunology, and rare diseases. Kurma is part of the Eurazeo group, managing >€600 million in assets across several funds focused on early-stage therapeutics and diagnostics.
NRW.BANK, based in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, invests in innovative biotech companies focusing on tech-driven healthcare, bio-digital integration, and novel platforms for data/discovery, aligning with broader innovation goals. They appear to be an important source for the small scattering of financing (13) deals in German-speaking countries. NRW works closely with AvH, an Antwerp, Belgium-based diversified holding company and investment firm, with AvH Growth Capital a proactive investor in early-stage companies like DISCO Pharmaceuticals and Evla Bio.
Another very interesting seed funder is BII in Copenhagen Denmark. The institute provides in-kind grants of up to €3 million for bridging translational studies in European academic institutions. For those projects that progress to a company build, a combination of convertible loans of €500K (Venture Lab) and then €1.3 million (Venture House) are made available to complete seed funding. As of January 2026, BII has supported over 130 early-stage life science and deep tech companies, with many attracting significant external funding. This month, there was news that Novo Nordisk has just plowed another $856 million of funding into BII.
The United States continues to dwarf other countries in its ability to galvanize preclinical biotech startups receiving seed or series A financing, with the UK a far second place (itself hosting double the number of startups of other non-US countries). Source: Haystack Science
Overall, in terms of the location of where most investment is occurring, our analysis reveals the capacity to host startups is expanding across the globe, with at least 19 countries hosting one preclinical startup that received funding in 2025. These countries were: USA, UK, France, Switzerland, China, The Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Spain, Israel, Australia, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, South Korea and Singapore. Perhaps the prominence of France as a location for preclinical therapeutic startups was most surprising from our sample. Interestingly, a lot of ex-US startups now also have a US (usually Cambridge, Mass.-based) headquarters. Digging deeper, 85 different cities around the world host a startup that obtained financing (pre-seed to series B) in 2025, with 20 cities hosting two or more. As expected, the Boston cluster led with 28 preclinical therapeutic startups, the Bay area hosted 19, and the UK’s Golden Triangle had 13. Of the following pack, some interesting standout cities were Paris, France (with 5 in our sample) and New York City (with 7), the latter long in the shadow of its Boston neighbor.
Cities hosting two or more startups that received seed or series A funding in 2025 (85 different cities hosted at least one biotech startup receiving financing). Boston and the Bay Area in the United States and the UK’s Golden Triangle (London, Cambridge and Oxford) are the most successful biotech clusters, far ahead of rest of the world. Source: Haystack Science
In terms of the disease areas attracting early-stage investor money, cancer dominates, comprising the focus for 34.4% of the funding raises. This is slightly lower than the biopharma sector as a whole, where cancer comprises up to 45% of pipelines. Following cancer, neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune disease and inflammatory disease all figured prominently. The uptick in deals for companies tackling CNS disorders has been a rolling theme recently, given the burden of neurodegenerative disease and dementia on public health systems and the paucity of disease-modifying treatments. With the continuing stampede around GLP-1s/incretins, there was also a healthy number of metabolic/ endocrine disease startups financed.
Disease focus of pre-seed, seed, series A and series B deals for preclinical startups tracked by Haystack Science in 2025. Source: Haystack Science
One last area we looked at was the type of therapeutic being financed by investment groups. Here again, the pharmaceutical industry’s traditional workhorse, the small molecule, remained pre-eminent in 2025, comprising 24% of financing deals in pre-seed, seed, series A and series B financings that were in the preclinical stage. Established modalities like monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were a common focus. And there was a resurgence of interest in recombinant proteins and peptides (likely boosted by the focus on incretins and the metabolic disease and obesity space). Of new modalities, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific and multispecific antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immune cell (T cell and NK cells) also were to the fore, each making up around 6% of all the early-stage deals we tracked. A type of therapeutic gathering increasing attention is clearly the induced-proximity therapeutic sector (including the different flavors of PROTACs, DUBTACs and molecular glues). Finally, although a great deal has been mentioned about investor apathy for gene editing and gene therapy, these also captured 3-4% of the deals.
Type of therapeutic modality in preclinical startups receiving pre-seed, seed, series A and series B funding in 2025 that were tracked by Haystack Science. Source: Haystack Science
By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN
RESI JPM 2026 brought together more than 90 innovative life science and healthcare companies over two days, creating one of the most competitive and high-impact RESI conferences to date. A centerpiece of the meeting was the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC), which provided early-stage companies with a powerful platform to present their technologies, engage directly with investors, and gain visibility within the global life sciences ecosystem.
IPC finalists delivered six-minute pitch presentations, followed by a seven-minute interactive Q&A with a panel of experienced investor judges. Beyond the stage, each participating company showcased its technology at a dedicated table in the RESI Exhibition Hall, enabling deeper conversations during partnering meetings and informal discussions throughout the conference.
A defining element of the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge is its attendee-driven voting model. Registered RESI JPM attendees—including startup executives, venture investors, and industry experts—were given RESI cash at check-in and used it to “invest” in the IPC companies they believed demonstrated the strongest potential. Voting decisions reflected not only pitch performance, but also the companies’ responses during Q&A, one-on-one interactions at their exhibition tables, and follow-up meetings held during the conference.
Life Science Nation is proud to announce the top three winners of the RESI JPM 2026 Innovator’s Pitch Challenge:
Participating companies were organized into 24 sector-focused pitch sessions, each featuring four companies and evaluated by expert judging panels. In addition to the top three overall winners, judges recognized standout companies for exceptional science, compelling business models, and strong execution.
Judges’ Picks:
Looking ahead: Applications are now open for Life Science Nation’s next European conference, taking place in Portugal on March 23, 2026. Companies interested in pitching can applyhere.
Myonerv is developing a new approach to stroke rehabilitation that aims to expand access to intensive, effective therapy beyond the clinic. Following their recent win at the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI London, the team is advancing a wearable neurotechnology designed to help patients regain upper-limb movement through intention-driven stimulation and remote clinical support. We spoke with Myonerv to learn more about the problem they are addressing, their technology, and what comes next as they move toward clinical trials and global partnerships.
Caitlin Dolegowski (CD): For readers who may be new to Myonerv, how do you describe the company’s mission and core technology?
Sam Kamali (SK): Myonerv is a breakthrough British neurotechnology solution designed to transform stroke rehabilitation through an active, remote-operated wearable medical device that restores movement in patients with post-stroke upper-limb paralysis (paresis). A wearable, non-invasive neurostimulator that helps retrain movement after stroke by detecting a patient’s intention to move and delivering targeted electrical stimulation to augment that movement. This “closed-loop” approach is supported by scientific evidence showing that synchronising stimulation with a person’s voluntary effort can enhance neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to rewire and relearn lost movements.
Unlike traditional electrical stimulators, Myonerv uses flexible bioelectronic materials to create soft, reusable electrodes that conform comfortably to the arm. The system is designed to be lightweight, easy to apply, and suitable for both clinical and home environments. It will also allow therapists to monitor progress and support patients remotely, helping expand rehabilitation capacity without increasing staff burden.
CD: What problem are you addressing, and why is now the right time for your approach?
SK: Partial paralysis after a Stroke affects 70% of all survivors, approximately 900,000 new patients annually in the UK, DACH and USA. Despite clear evidence that intensive, early, and consistent rehabilitation improves outcomes, most patients in the UK receive only 45 minutes of therapy per day in hospital and as little as 1 hour per week after discharge – far below nationally recommended 3 hours per day. We believe the resulting “plateau” in stroke recovery is not biological, but due to the lack of therapy access and intensity.
Myonerv directly addresses this challenge by developing a first-in-class wearable, closed-loop neurostimulator that enables continuous, intention-driven rehabilitation both in-clinic and at home. It combines bioelectronic sensing, software-assisted control loops, reusable polymer electrodes and remote therapist connectivity (capabilities not currently available in NHS or international markets). The innovation advances beyond the state of the art in its miniaturisation, accuracy, sustainability, and ability to extend clinical rehabilitation into the community setting.
CD: What stood out most to you about competing in—and winning—the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI London?
SK: “It’s so refreshing to hear such a good pitch, after such a long time”. These were the words that stuck with us from our judge, Soyoung Park, General Partner at 1004 Ventures.
This echoed the depth of excitement from investors throughout the event. The judges and audience deeply understood both the clinical problem and the commercial challenge of scaling medical technologies within healthcare systems. People were enthusiastic about the prospect of a remote-controlled rehabilitation device that can exponentially increase the amount of therapy received by patients. Winning wasn’t just validation of the technology - it was validation of the need and our ability to change the state of healthcare worldwide.
CD: How has the exposure from RESI London impacted conversations with investors or strategic partners so far?
SK: RESI London has materially accelerated conversations. Since the event, we’ve seen increased inbound interest from international investors and strategic partners across Europe and the US, particularly those focused on neurotechnology, digital health, and rehabilitation.
The win has acted as a strong credibility signal – shortening diligence cycles and shifting discussions toward clinical milestones, regulatory strategy, and partnership structures rather than basic validation. It has also opened doors to potential manufacturing and healthcare delivery partners who see Myonerv as an international platform, not just a single product.
CD: Where is Myonerv currently in terms of fundraising or partnership strategy?
SK: We have officially opened a £2 million pre-seed priced round. Our strategy is to combine the £215k in non-dilutive funding with targeted private investment to de-risk the technology before scaling. What is promising is that we are receiving non-dilutive funding faster than we can announce it, with a recent admission into the Founders Factory x Innovate UK (Hospital to Home) Biomedical Catalyst Accelerator, which enables a£100k grant for us to perform our first in-patient trials.
This touches on our recent partnership arrangements, as we are working closely with several patient networks and the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation Trust (CPFT), an NHS Trust overseeing hospital networks across the East of England. CPFT has agreed to sponsor our clinical trials, which fast-tracks the process for trial approvals, recruitment and secure documentation of data. CPFT has shown great enthusiasm in being our first pilot sites for Myonerv. This is only a small part of our partnership arrangements, as we have several more with other hospitals across the UK who have given us Letters of Interest to give Myonerv to 1,200 patients per year once the device is available in the market.
We are now looking to build on the network we have built in Cambridge thanks to the £120k grant won from ARIA as part of Cambridge NeuroWorks, tasked with developing a first-in-class scalable neural interface for the world. Our next step is to visit RESI JPM in San Francisco on January 12th 2026 to create more partnerships with the US network as we look to expand our reach globally.
CD: What milestones are you most focused on over the next 12–18 months?
SK: Our primary focus is delivering on the tech. We are currently finalizing our functional prototype with the Manufacturing Technology Centre, a major UK-based factory, to test on participants with approvals from the University of Cambridge. Our shiny new prototype will be ready in time for an exciting Myonerv demo at RESI Europe in Lisbon, on 23rd March 2026!
We are then looking to build on this to develop a TRL6/7 alpha device and completing a feasibility clinical study in stroke survivors. In parallel, we are advancing our regulatory pathway, quality management systems, and health-economic evidence to support adoption by healthcare providers. Having secured regulatory and commercial partners who will help navigate our pathway through into international markets.
We are simultaneously focused on strengthening manufacturing readiness, expanding our clinical and patient engagement network, and closing our pre-seed round. Together, these milestones position Myonerv for scale - clinically, commercially, and globally.
By Momo Yamamoto, Senior Investor Research Analyst, LSN
RESI JPM brings together early-stage life science innovators and active investors during one of the industry’s most important weeks, and Life Science Nation is pleased to announce the investor judges participating in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC).
This year’s IPC will feature more than 90 presenting companies across 24 pitch sessions over two days, offering startups a high-impact opportunity to gain visibility, pitch directly to investors, and receive real-time feedback from experienced decision-makers.
Each pitch session will be evaluated by a panel of investor and strategic partner judges with expertise spanning therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, and life science tools. Following every presentation, judges will lead a live Q&A to assess the opportunity and share perspective on scientific differentiation, commercial potential, and investment readiness.
All IPC companies will also be assigned a dedicated space in the RESI Exhibition Hall, creating additional opportunities for follow-up conversations and deeper engagement with investors and conference attendees.
In addition, RESI JPM attendees will be invited to vote with their RESI Cash for their favorite presenting companies. The Top 3 companies will be announced during the conference reception. Winners will receive a prize and be featured in an upcoming issue of the LSN newsletter, reaching a global audience of investors and life science innovators.
Scroll down to see which investors will serve as judges for this year’s RESI JPM Innovator’s Pitch Challenge.
Caitlin Dolegowski (CD): Could you introduce TrilliumBiO and share your core focus areas in life sciences?
Laura Vivian (LV): TrilliumBiO is a biomarker discovery company specializing in the development and commercialization of novel diagnostic tests to translate scientific discoveries into real-world clinical impact.
The company has launched over 100 assays, collaborates with partners domestically and internationally, and processes over 500,000 samples annually through a multi-accredited, CLIA-certified laboratory. We work with industry innovators in biotech and pharma, as well as academic medical centers, foundations, and patient advocacy groups. Headquartered in Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., we operate within the nation’s third-largest biopharma hub. Our multidisciplinary leadership team brings decades of experience delivering value to patients and partners.
Our core focus is expanding access to critical areas of testing that align with emerging therapeutics and scaling diagnostic solutions that support the development and adoption of new treatments.
CD: What types of early-stage companies or technologies are you most interested in meeting at RESI?
LV: First, we are excited to be able to sponsor RESI JPM 2026 and be part of this great community. Thank you for having us.
We believe we are ideally positioned at the intersection of the life sciences ecosystem to create enormous value for our partners. We’re especially interested in engaging with companies advancing novel therapeutics and diagnostics, investors seeking biomarker and clinical diagnostic expertise for their portfolio companies, and organizations with technologies to in-license or co-develop. Our team brings speed, efficiency, and deep expertise in biomarker strategy and development to help accelerate that journey.
CD: What are some of the key scientific or commercial challenges your team is focusing on solving in the coming year?
LV: At TrilliumBiO, we see ourselves as partners from discovery through delivery, working alongside our clients across R&D, regulatory milestones, and clinical use. That partnership means solving critical barriers that often slow diagnostic development, limit patient access, and delay therapeutic approvals.
We’re not only able to bring new assays to market; we also scale testing volume and accelerate the commercialization of existing assays. Our regulatory expertise and audit readiness gives partners confidence that FDA submissions will succeed, ensuring progress isn’t stalled by compliance hurdles.
Education is foundational to our work, strengthening disease awareness among both patients and providers. With the support of more than 15,000 in our physician network, we make sure that every test result is clinically meaningful and actionable.
CD: Is there anything you’d like the RESI community to know about TrilliumBiO’s mission or upcoming milestones?
LV: We recently announced a strategic partnership with Oncobit, an international leader in precision oncology, to bring advanced monitoring solutions for uveal melanoma, including molecular residual disease (MRD) testing, to the U.S. We’re also preparing awareness initiatives around rare diseases like lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), supported by our VEGF-D assay, and blood-based biomarkers that enable earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Our mission is to advance diagnostics that make a meaningful difference in patient care.
The RESI community should stay tuned, as we’ll be sharing more about these milestones and others soon.
CD: Are there any recent accomplishments that you want us to highlight? (Awards, Grants, FDA Approvals, Social Corporate Responsibility programs, etc.)
LV: We were honored to be named a finalist for the Emerging Life Sciences Company of the Year at the 2025 ICON Awards presented by the Maryland Tech Council, recognizing innovation and impact in the state of Maryland’s life sciences sector. Building on that momentum, we secured FDA approval for a rare disease direct to consumer test within just six months, a milestone that reflects our ability to rapidly translate discovery into patient-ready diagnostics. Alongside these achievements, we continue to strengthen partnerships with patient advocacy groups, ensuring that our breakthroughs are paired with meaningful support for the communities we serve.
The firm is focused on therapeutics companies and does not invest in medical devices, diagnostics, or digital health. The firm is open to considering assets of very early stages, even those as early as lead optimization phase. The firm considers various modalities, including antibodies, small molecules, and cell therapy. Currently, the firm is not interested in gene therapy. Indication-wise, the firm is most interested in oncology and autoimmune diseases but has recently looked at fibrotic diseases and certain rare diseases as well.
The firm is opportunistic across all subsectors of healthcare. Within MedTech, the firm is most interested in medical devices, artificial intelligence, robotics, and mobile health. The firm is seeking post-prototype innovations that are FDA cleared or are close to receiving clearance. Within therapeutics, the firm is interested in therapeutics for large disease markets such as oncology, neurology, and metabolic diseases. The firm is open to all modalities with a special interest in immunotherapy and cell therapy.
A strategic investment firm of a large global pharmaceutical makes investments ranging from $5 million to $30 million, acting either as a sole investor or within a syndicate. The firm is open to considering therapeutic opportunities globally, but only if the company is pursuing a market opportunity in the USA and is in dialogue with the US FDA.
The firm is currently looking for new investment opportunities in enterprise software, medical devices, and the healthcare IT space. The firm will invest in 510k devices and healthcare IT companies, and it is very opportunistic in terms of indications. In the past, the firm was active in medical device companies developing dental devices, endovascular innovation devices, and women’s health devices.
A venture capital firm founded in 2005 has multiple offices throughout Asia, New York, and San Diego. The firm has closed its fifth fund in 2017 and is currently raising a sixth fund, which the firm is targeting to be the largest fund to date. The firm continues to actively seek investment opportunities across a […]
Paula Cerqueira
Laura Vivian
Next Phase Newsletter 