Mercia EIS Funds

Laverock raises £13.5m to develop unique gene silencing platform

Laverock Therapeutics, established in 2021 to commercialise the gene editing induced gene silencing (GEiGS®) platform for all human therapeutic applications, has raised £13.5m in a funding round backed by Mercia Ventures.

This investment – which was led by Calculus Capital and also included Eli Lilly and Company, Maven Capital Partners, Eos, UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund and Tekfen Ventures– will enable further development of the GEiGS technology. It will also allow Laverock to progress its programmes in regenerative medicine and immuno-oncology, with a focus on Type I Diabetes and solid tumour responsive T-cell and macrophage based immune therapies, through to in vitro and in vivo validation. A key part of this next phase will be bringing on new members of the team and expanding lab facilities.

David Venables, CEO of Laverock, commented: “GEiGS is already showing significant potential to transform the safety and efficacy of advanced therapies and we are excited that this new investment will allow us to progress towards pre-clinical candidate selection. We’re pleased to welcome such an experienced group of investors on board, bringing extensive sector expertise which will help us to grow as a company and accelerate the development of targeted, responsive treatments.”

Elizabeth Klein, Investment Director at Calculus, said: “We are delighted to support Laverock and its exceptional management team, led by CEO David Venables, as the company embarks on its next phase of expansion, pioneering a new era of programmable advanced therapies.”