LifeArc Ventures 2025: New geographies and investments, a growing team and continued portfolio progress

LONDON, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LifeArc Ventures, the venture capital arm of the medical research organisation, LifeArc, had its most active year to date in 2025, announcing investments in four new innovative life sciences portfolio companies and further funding and supporting its portfolio, which stood at 20 companies at year end.  

Since its inception in 2020, the portfolio has grown through Seed and Series A investments, expanding its investments into Series B in 2025. LifeArc Ventures participated in two new Series B rounds in transformative companies as part of top tier global syndicates, as well as supporting existing portfolio companies with their Series A and B raises. LifeArc Ventures anticipates another year of substantial progress in 2026, with multiple clinical starts expected alongside further new investments.

Clare Terlouw, Managing Partner of LifeArc Ventures, said: "This year we've announced four new investments, including our first in German, Swiss and Scandinavian companies. This geographic expansion is part of our long-term strategy to diversify the portfolio, entering new territories and therapeutic areas while sustaining our UK focus. We're encouraged by the way our investments are maturing across the portfolio, and by our ability to attract talented individuals with the experience and expertise to support our growing footprint and ambitions. 2026 promises to be a transformative year for our portfolio companies and for our fund." 

LifeArc Ventures invests broadly across therapeutics and tech-enabled biotechnology companies across all modalities and therapeutic areas as part of its direct investment strategy. LifeArc Ventures also runs a fund of funds strategy and has invested in ten leading global life sciences venture funds to date. The goal is to return capital to LifeArc's balance sheet as part of the organisation's long term financial sustainability, whilst supporting the translation of bold scientific ideas into transformative solutions for patients. 

A growing specialist team

The appointments of Olivia Cavlan, MD, as Partner, and Diana Röttger as Investment Principal, in 2025 further strengthened LifeArc Ventures' commercial, operational and scientific expertise, reinforcing its ability to source and manage promising additional investments as well as actively supporting the growth and governance of our existing portfolio.

Expanding the portfolio with high-impact investments complemented by targeted follow-ons

LifeArc Ventures deployed capital across a diverse array of therapeutic modalities and technologies, in particular areas with significant unmet needs such as autoimmune diseases, fibrosis and CNS disorders.

• GlycoEra AG's $130 million Series B: LifeArc Ventures joined Novo Holdings, Catalio Capital Management, QIA, Sofinnova Partners, 5AM Ventures, Roche Ventures, Bristol Myers Squibb, Agent Capital, MP Healthcare Venture Management, and Sixty Degree Capital. The funding will be used to transform GlycoEra into a clinical stage company with its lead program targeting IgG4 applicable to multiple autoimmune conditions. GlycoEra is based in Switzerland and the U.S.

• Hillstar Bio's $67 million Series A: Co-investing with Droia Ventures, Frazier Life Sciences and Novo Holdings, LifeArc Ventures supported the U.S.-based company's launch focused on precision immunotherapies.

• Exciva's €51 million Series B: LifeArc Ventures joined GIMV, EQT, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Andera to support the German company's Phase 2 study evaluating Deraphan for treatment of agitation associated with Alzheimer's disease (ADA). ADA represents a significant unmet need, affecting more than 30-50% of patients at any point in time. A phase 1 trial with Deraphan has been successfully completed and showed that the combination is safe and well-tolerated.

• Tribune Therapeutics' €23 million Series A: LifeArc Ventures led the Series A, partnering with Scandinavian investors Novo Holdings, HealthCap, Innovestor's Life Science Fund, Inven2, Industrifonden, and Investinor to help drive the Swedish/Norwegian company's development of TRX-44, a first-in-class CCN5-mimicking therapy. This investment targets idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, advancing the program toward pivotal clinical trials.

In addition, two of our companies announced substantial further funding:

• Maxion Therapeutics' $72 million oversubscribed Series A: Alongside the other existing investors Monograph Capital and BGF, and joined by new investors General Catalyst, British Patient Capital, Solasta Ventures, and Eli Lilly and Company, LifeArc Ventures supported Maxion's plans to transform into a clinical-stage company, taking the lead KnotBody® program candidate MAX001 to clinical proof-of-concept for inflammatory diseases, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities.

• Affect Therapeutics' $26 million Series B: LifeArc Ventures participated alongside Allumia Ventures, Artis Ventures, City Light Capital, and Limitless Ventures to help scale up Affect's AI-powered virtual clinic. Already operating in more than 20 U.S. states, the platform integrates behavioral therapy, biological monitoring, and incentives to address substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health challenges, expanding partnerships with health plans and employers.

Substantive portfolio progress: from patents to partnerships

Several of LifeArc Ventures' portfolio delivered substantial achievements in 2025, expanding IP, strengthening leadership, receiving clinical authorisations and forming strategic alliances including:

• AviadoBio and UgeneX Therapeutics' exclusive option and license agreement: AviadoBio secured an option to worldwide rights (ex-Greater China) to UGX-202, an advanced optogenetics gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa and retinal diseases, currently in Phase 1. The deal includes up to $413 million in milestones and royalties.

• Fluid Biomed appoints senior medtech executive John Kilcoyne as Independent Board Chair: The appointment brings decades of experience in leading high-growth medical device companies to Canada-based Fluid Biomed as it accelerates development of its unique polymer–based stent technology to treat brain aneurysms and stroke.

• Ikarovec substantive regulatory and clinical progress: positive FDA feedback on development plan for IKAR-001, first-in-class dual pathway gene therapy for geographic atrophy, and promising data presented on therapeutic potential in geographic atrophy and wet AMD.

• Maxion Therapeutics' leadership and Board strengthened: Joel Edwards (formerly VP of Corporate Strategy and Operations at Ionis Pharmaceuticals) joined as Chief Business Officer to drive partnerships for the KnotBody® pipeline, while Dr. Santiago Arroyo (formerly CMO of Momenta Pharmaceuticals until its sale to J&J for $6.5bn) was appointed Non-Executive Director to guide clinical advancement post-Series A.

• RQ Bio accelerates seasonal influenza programme: After the success of developing Kavigale for COVID-19, RQ Bio has successfully turned its attention to generating potent and resilient long-acting antibodies for seasonal influenza A for vulnerable individuals.

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About LifeArc

LifeArc is a not-for-profit medical research organisation with one clear purpose – transforming the lives of people living with rare diseases and drug-resistant infections. We aim to deliver this by conducting and funding pioneering research, and working with partners to accelerate the translation of scientific breakthroughs into new tests and treatments. Through our LifeArc Ventures team, we invest in innovative life sciences companies with significant follow-on investment reserved for successful portfolio companies. Our ventures approach focuses on investing in novel translational science and technology across a broad range of indications and the full spectrum of therapeutics, healthtech and medical devices - with the dual goal to generate financial returns to LifeArc and to deliver life-changing patient impact.

Find out more on www.lifearc.org / https://lifearcventures.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter (@LifeArcVentures).