Laigo Bio Closes €17M Seed Round to Advance SureTACs Platform
Utrecht, Netherlands – Laigo Bio, a pioneering Dutch biotech firm, has successfully concluded an oversubscribed €17 million seed funding round. The substantial capital infusion, which saw an additional €5.5 million
Utrecht, Netherlands – Laigo Bio, a pioneering Dutch biotech firm, has successfully concluded an oversubscribed €17 million seed funding round. The substantial capital infusion, which saw an additional €5.5 million raised in a final close to complement the initial €11.5 million secured in December 2025, is earmarked to propel the company's SureTACs platform, a novel approach to targeting historically “undruggable” membrane proteins implicated in critical diseases.
This latest funding round introduces Biovance Capital as a new co-lead investor, joining existing co-lead Kurma Partners. Dr. João Incio, General Partner at Biovance Capital, will also be joining Laigo Bio's Board of Directors, reinforcing the company's strategic leadership as it moves forward.
Revolutionizing Drug Discovery: SureTACs Explained
Traditional drug discovery often relies on blocking disease-causing proteins. However, this method proves ineffective for many proteins found on cell membranes, which lack convenient binding pockets and have been notoriously difficult to target for decades. Laigo Bio’s innovative SureTACs (Surface Removal Targeting Chimeras) platform takes a fundamentally different approach: engineering the complete destruction of these challenging proteins.
SureTACs utilize bispecific antibodies designed to bring a problematic membrane protein into close contact with an E3 ligase enzyme located on the cell surface. This forced proximity activates the cell’s natural ubiquitination machinery, which tags the target protein for degradation. Subsequently, the tagged protein is transported to the lysosome and systematically eliminated from the cell surface.
This method offers not just inhibition but a complete physical removal of the target protein. Laigo Bio emphasizes that this selective degradation promises to spare healthy tissue, potentially reducing the severe side effects often associated with conventional drug therapies. The scientific underpinnings of this technology were developed at Professor Madelon Maurice’s laboratory at UMC Utrecht and the Oncode Institute.
Strategic Growth and Pipeline Expansion
With the fresh capital, Laigo Bio plans to accelerate its lead oncology programs through the crucial remaining preclinical studies required before commencing first-in-human clinical trials. Simultaneously, a significant portion of the funding will support the expansion of discovery efforts across three new candidate programs focusing on autoimmune and immunology indications, including critical areas like graft rejection.
The company's strategy involves advancing its oncology pipeline internally through preclinical completion. Once this phase is achieved, Laigo Bio intends to collaborate with pharmaceutical partners to transition these programs into clinical development, leveraging external expertise for later-stage trials. The autoimmune programs are currently in an earlier discovery stage.
Pioneering a New Frontier in Protein Degradation
Laigo Bio stands out in the protein degradation landscape, where established players like Arvinas and C4 Therapeutics have primarily concentrated on intracellular targets. By focusing on E3 ligase-mediated degradation of membrane proteins, Laigo Bio is addressing a vast and largely untapped reservoir of validated disease targets. While these membrane proteins present more complex engineering challenges, their successful targeting could unlock significant therapeutic breakthroughs for numerous conditions.
The company was co-founded by the Oncode Institute, the Oncode Bridge Fund, and Argobio Studio – an international biotech startup studio supported by Kurma Partners, BPI France, and Angelini Ventures. Dr. Matthew Baker, who assumed the CEO role in December 2025, brings over two decades of extensive drug development expertise spanning inflammation and oncology, positioning him to lead Laigo Bio through its next phase of growth and discovery.
FAQ
Q: What is the core innovation of Laigo Bio's SureTACs platform?
A: SureTACs differ from conventional drugs by engineering the complete destruction of disease-causing membrane proteins rather than merely blocking them. It uses bispecific antibodies to guide these proteins to E3 ligase enzymes, leading to their degradation and removal from the cell surface.
Q: How will the €17 million seed funding be utilized?
A: The funds will primarily advance Laigo Bio's lead oncology programs through preclinical studies to prepare for human trials. Additionally, the company will expand its discovery work on three new programs targeting various autoimmune and immunology indications, including graft rejection.
Q: What makes targeting membrane proteins particularly significant?
A: Membrane proteins have historically been deemed “undruggable” due to their structure and location, making them inaccessible to many conventional drug approaches. By successfully targeting and degrading these proteins, Laigo Bio aims to unlock a vast, previously unaddressed pool of disease targets for conditions like cancer and autoimmune disorders.
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