German biotech startup SRTD has secured €31.5 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by the Mérieux Innovation 2 fund. The company, founded in 2019, focuses on developing selectively expressed RNA technology, which remains inactive until a specific disease marker is detected in a cell.
The startup utilizes three core platforms: seRNA constructs, a fusogenic lipid nanoparticle delivery system, and an AI-driven synthetic biology platform. Its current pipeline includes four preclinical programs targeting primary liver and lung cancer, liver fibrosis, and autoimmune diseases.
Following the funding round, Matthias Alder has been appointed as the new CEO. Alder previously served as CEO of Gain Therapeutics and has experience in executing over $10 billion in biotech transactions. The company plans to use the capital to advance preclinical work toward an IND application for US clinical trials.
This latest seed round is more than three times larger than the company's initial undisclosed seven-figure seed round, which closed in November 2024. HTGF, which led the first round, participated in both financing events. The company aims to move its liver cancer candidates into clinical development within three years.
