Brano Therapeutics, a biotech startup from Duke-NUS Medical School, has raised US$6.8 million (around S$8.7 million) in seed funding.
The funding round was led by Trinity Innovation Bioventure Singapore (TIBS) and SEEDS, with support from SGInnovate and Duke-NUS’ early-stage fund and incubation program, LIVE VENTURES.
The investment shows strong confidence in Brano’s plan to use Duke-NUS’ research, technology, and data to develop new treatments. It also marks TIBS’s fifth investment in a Singapore-based spin-off and its second partnership with a local academic institution.
This partnership helps turn important scientific discoveries into real-world biotech solutions and businesses.
Professor Wang Yibin, Director of the Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School and Scientific Founder of Brano Therapeutics, said: “Our study shows that the failure of the specific nutrient processing pathway plays a key role in the development of Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction and is a distinct feature of the disease. Restoring this metabolic pathway could provide a promising new treatment. We are deeply grateful for the trust placed in us by our investors and look forward to advancing this discovery toward novel therapies for patients.”
Langdon Wu, Managing Director, Trinity Innovation Bioventure Singapore, said: “As the lead investor, TIBS is proud to partner with Brano Therapeutics to help build a new generation biotech company focused on high-impact cardiovascular innovation. Brano is founded on the world-class research from Duke-NUS and combines strong scientific vision, thoughtful translational strategy, and disciplined execution. We believe Brano is well positioned to advance a differentiated pipeline while contributing meaningfully to the continued growth of Singapore’s life sciences and biotech innovation ecosystem.”
Brano Therapeutics is developing new and strong medicines to treat metabolic issues in people with heart failure.
The company aims to begin clinical trials by 2029 and hopes its research will lead to better, next-generation treatments that improve how heart failure is treated.
Read More- Enaxiom raises $1.8 million in seed round led by Epic Angels
