MetaLead receives 1 million Swiss francs from the UZH Life Sciences Fund

(CONNECT) MetaLead can accelerate the development of a novel treatment for Wilson's disease: The spin-off of the University of Zurich (UZH), which was founded in Dübendorf ZH in 2023 and is now based in Basel, has received 1 million Swiss francs, according to a statement from the UZH Life Sciences Fund (LSF).

This fund provides early-stage financing to UZH spin-offs whose business ideas are based on intellectual property from UZH life sciences, biotech and medtech research. The LSF consists of two equal partners: the UZH Foundation and the Novartis Venture Fund.

Wilson's disease is a rare genetic disorder that leads to a toxic accumulation of copper in the body. This causes severe damage to the central nervous system and kidneys. Current treatment options are limited, so there is a considerable medical need. The proprietary peptide-based and metal-binding therapeutic platform of metaLead's almost exclusively female team aims to offer a more effective and better tolerated alternative to existing chelation therapies.

"We are very pleased to support metaLead," said Michio Painter, Investment Manager at LSF. "Michal Shoshan and her team have demonstrated a unique ability to discover and optimize peptides for the treatment of metal diseases."

Shoshan, the co-founder and CEO of metaLead, describes this investment as an important milestone. This "allows us to accelerate our preclinical development towards IND-enabling studies. We are determined to meet the urgent need for better therapies for Wilson's disease, especially for patients with neurological symptoms." ce/mm