Nuage Therapeutics, the spin-off from IRB Barcelona and ICREA, is launched with the support of Asabys

Nuage Therapeutics has announced the closing of a financing round by Sabadell Asabys, the investment vehicle managed by Asabys Partners. With this injection of capital, the spin-off will start its work discovering drugs aimed at therapeutic targets currently considered undruggable.

The company was created by IRB Barcelona, ICREA, and the researchers Xavier Salvatella and Mateusz Biesaga, together with Denes Hnisz, from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin (Germany). The team is completed by Georgina Sorrosal, Head of Operations, and Jordina Guillén, Head of Science (both IRB Barcelona alumni).

The scientists behind Nuage Therapeutics have spent years investigating target proteins currently considered undruggable due to their unique structural properties. These targets have common surprising features, namely they are disordered, and can exert their activity through the formation of biomolecular condensates—dynamic protein droplets that regulate key processes and whose function is altered in several diseases.

Based at the Barcelona Science Park, Nuage Therapeutics uses a proprietary assay to discover new drugs for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Further pre-clinical programs will be announced in the coming months.

The financing provided by Sabadell Asabys will be added to other resources under negotiation with local and international funds until the closing of a financing round where Asabys will also participate.

“It is now time to leverage what we have learnt about intrinsically disordered proteins and their condensation properties to discover new drugs. We are delighted to have Asabys supporting Nuage Therapeutics”, says Dr. Salvatella.

Clara Campàs, founding partner of Asabys, adds, “This operation reflects the strategy followed by Sabadell Asabys to invest in early-stage initiatives of outstanding scientific quality, like Nuage Therapeutics. This technology allows drug discovery in a totally different way than what we have seen until now.”

Dr. Francesc Posas, Director of IRB Barcelona, says, “Nuage Therapeutics is IRB Barcelona’s seventh spin-off and it reflects the commitment of the institute to driving the medicine of the future. We firmly believe the results of research translate into a benefit for society. Nuage Therapeutics has come about to provide solutions to a broad range of medical conditions that were considered untreatable until now.”

About Nuage Therapeutics

Founded by the researchers Xavier Salvatella, Mateusz Biesaga and Denes Hnisz, Nuage Therapeutics is a recently created spin-off from the IRB Barcelona and ICREA. Based at the Barcelona Science Park, Nuage Therapeutics develops drug screening assays to target intrinsically disordered proteins that undergo biomolecular condensation, thus providing new treatments for diseases currently considered difficult to treat. Part of the technology developed by Nuage Therapeutics has been funded by the Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (AECC) (Spanish Association Against Cancer), through its “AECC Innova” programme, and by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, through its CaixaResearch Validate programme. www.nuagetx.com