3 days ago
Vivodyne raises $40M for human tissue drug testing
Vivodyne, a San Francisco-based startup using lab-grown human tissues to discover and develop drugs, raised $40 million in a Series A led by Khosla Ventures.
Why it matters: Vivodyne says demand is "surging" from pharma clients following the FDA's announced plans to "phase out" animal testing requirements in drug development.
Follow the money: New investors include Lingotto Investment Management, Helena Capital and Fortius Ventures.
Existing investors Kairos Ventures, CS Ventures, Bison Ventures and MBX Capital also participated.
Vivodyne has raised about $78 million to date, after a $38 million seed round in 2023.
CEO Andrei Georgescu wouldn't disclose Vivodyne's valuation but said it grew significantly with the Series A.
How it works: Vivodyne is using automated robotic platforms and AI to grow thousands of lab-grown, fully functional human tissues and produce data to discover and develop drugs.
The pre-clinical technology is designed to be used in lieu of animal testing, and Vivodyne says its platform can improve the success rate in human trials.
The platform can produce human bone marrow, lymph nodes, liver and other organs, and model diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, autoimmunity and infections.
Zoom in: Top pharma companies are already testing drugs and therapies using Vivodyne's approach.
"We are a partnerships company that spans the entire breadth of preclinical development," Georgescu says.
The company, which employs about 40 people, also has some of its own drug programs but Georgescu declined to share specific disease targets.
