Graph Therapeutics closes five-million-dollar round led by Daphni

According to its own statements, Graph Therapeutics is a company in the field of immunology and inflammation research. The biotech company develops an AI-supported platform to research new drugs against inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases.

Technology: "Lab-in-the-loop" and multi-omics

The technological foundation of Graph Therapeutics is a so-called "Lab-in-the-loop" approach. In this approach, living patient cell models are combined with machine learning to analyze complex immune functions. By examining multi-omics data and primary patient cells, the company identifies disease mechanisms, drug targets, and biomarkers. According to the company, the technology has already been validated in clinically relevant models.

The goal is to shift the focus from the pure development of the technological platform to the clinical development of specific therapeutic approaches. The funding primarily serves to advance the company's internal drug discovery programs for inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. In parallel, the platform capacities and the basis for strategic partnerships and out-licensing options are to be expanded.

Funding from FFG and aws

Graph Therapeutics has also received non-dilutive grants from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and from Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws). These funds were provided within the framework of the "Austrian Life Sciences" program as well as the aws "Deep Tech Life Sciences Seed Financing" program and supplement the private capital. They flow into the development of the company's scientific research approaches and underscore the role of public funding for deep-tech companies in Austria.

Co-founder and CEO Gregory Vladimer sees the investor entry as a strong signal: "Das Vertrauen von Daphni in unseren Ansatz ist ein starkes Signal, während wir die Investitionen in unsere Wirkstoffprogramme ausweiten. Mit ihrer Unterstützung und der unserer bestehenden Investoren verfügen wir sowohl über die notwendige Rückendeckung als auch über den Antrieb, Präzisionsmedikamente für entzündliche und immunvermittelte Erkrankungen zu entwickeln und der Branche zu zeigen, dass die systematische Entschlüsselung von Immunfehlfunktionen in echten Patientenzellen die tatsächlichen Krankheitsursachen sichtbar macht."

Vladimer also describes the maturity level of the platform: "Unsere Plattform hat einen entscheidenden Wendepunkt erreicht. Wir gewinnen heute biologisch relevante Erkenntnisse, die unmittelbar in unsere eigenen Programme zur Wirkstoffentwicklung einfließen." In doing so, he underscores the company's transition from pure technology development to clinical application.

Background: Allcyte and Daphni

The founding team has experience in AI-supported precision oncology, including through earlier work at the biotech company Allcyte, which was later acquired by Exscientia. This background is also relevant to the direction of Graph Therapeutics, as methods from precision oncology are being applied there to immunological questions.

On behalf of the lead investor, Sofia Dahoune, Partner at Daphni, commented on the strategic positioning: "Ein Unternehmen, in dem tiefgreifende technologische Innovation untrennbar mit exzellenter Forschung und Entwicklung verbunden ist und das von einem Team mit nachgewiesener Expertise in der Präzisionsmedizin geführt wird. Die Komplexität immunvermittelter Erkrankungen erfordert genau einen solchen integrierten Ansatz." Daphni thus sees Graph Therapeutics as a representative of the next generation of TechBio companies.

Graph Therapeutics plans to use the fresh capital to build strategic partnerships and to license its own platform to other pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The aim is to make the procedure developed in Klosterneuburg for analyzing immune cells usable outside of its own laboratory as well.

Overall, the funding round illustrates the trend that European deep-tech biotech companies are increasingly raising capital for clinical maturity. With the combination of private venture capital and public funding, Graph Therapeutics is positioning itself as a link between academic immunological research and pharmaceutical development.