Caixa Capital Risc invests in Sagetis Biotech to drive development of its products
Sagetis is working on technology to allow for drug delivery through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), opening the door to treatment for diseases that currently have no cure.
Sagetis Biotech, a spin-off of the Materials Engineering Group at the Sarria Chemical Institute, has received investment from Caixa Capital Risc for a key phase in their business project, product development.
Sagetis Biotech, promoted by Dr. Salvador Borrós (Scientific director), Dr. Lluís Quintana (director of Operations) and David Honra, (director of Marketing), develops drug delivery systems that can pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This barrier is a natural system protecting the brain from infection and other attacks, but it also causes problems when administering drugs to treat diseases of the central nervous system. Only 2% of small molecules are able to cross through the BBB, and this 2% is only effective in a small number of diseases. Sagetis Biotech is working on a drug delivery technology that allow potentially beneficial drugs, which could not do so otherwise, to pass through the BBB, opening the door to treatment for diseases that currently have no cure.
This spin-off won the second edition of BioEmprendedorXXI, a business start-up program for the life sciences field promoted by “la Caixa”, Barcelona Activa, Biocat, Genoma España and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.
In the life sciences field, Caixa Capital Risc has closed more than nine investments in Spain, including Catalan companies Omnia Molecular –with whom they expect to close a second round of funding in the near future–, Sabir Medical and Sanifit.