Index backs Morphogen's £1.5m seed round

The company, which develops a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, intends to use the fresh capital to confirm the best drug candidate to take forward into full development.

Index mainly focuses on investments in the digital sector. The VC made its last biotech investment in July 2015, when it took part in a $36m series-B round for French biotech company GenSight Biologics, alongside Novartis Venture Fund, Abingworth and Versant Ventures.

Company
Morphogen-IX is a spinout from University of Cambridge's Department of Medicine at Addenbrooke's Hospital. The company develops a drug treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease that affects around 6,500 people in the UK, mostly women in their 30s. It is caused by a narrowing of the blood vessels that lead from the heart to the lungs. As these arteries narrow, it becomes harder for the heart to pump blood through to the lungs, leading to breathlessness and heart failure.

People
Cambridge Enterprise – Andrew Walsh (technology manager).
Cambridge Innovation Capital – Robert Tansley (investment director).

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• Topics
• Early-stage
• UK / Ireland
• Healthcare
• United Kingdom
• Venture