Cambridge, UK — 29^th October 2025 — CamGene Therapeutics, a pioneering biotech company advancing first-in-class RNA-based therapies for hearing loss, today announced the successful closing of its oversubscribed seed funding round. The round was led by the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund – UKI2S (managed by Future Planet Capital) and joined by majority investor Eos Advisory as well as Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Hex Two, LongRiver Investments and Parkwalk Advisors via their University of Cambridge Enterprise Funds. Existing investor o2h Ventures, invested again.

The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people will have some degree of hearing loss, with more than 700 million requiring interventions. Medical devices are the current standard of care, but they are ineffective for many people. Crucially, there are no treatments available to treat the underlying cellular dysfunction, the root cause of hearing loss.

CamGene is developing RNA-based therapeutics with the potential not only to halt the progression of hearing loss, but also to restore lost function, addressing significant unmet patient need. The treatment will initially be delivered alongside surgery when receiving a cochlear implant, but also in the longer term as a stand-alone therapy for patients that would not be suitable for such a device, such as those experiencing milder forms of age related hearing loss.

CamGene combines world-leading expertise in lipid nanoparticle technology (LNP) and RNA therapeutics from industry leaders Dr Arpan Desai and Dr Paul McKay, with the clinical expertise of pioneering ENT surgeon-scientists Professor Manohar Bance and Dr Matthew Smith, University of Cambridge. CamGene will use the funding to advance its lead program through preclinical development, and further refine its proprietary RNA delivery platform tailored for inner ear applications.

Eos invests in and supports the growth of early stage, globally relevant science & technology businesses, with a focus on improving lives. o2h Ventures, an early investor, has supported CamGene from inception, bringing experience in early-stage life sciences. HexTwo is an investment company that was co-founded by Professor Pieter Cullis, a renowned leader in the LNP space. Notably, this round marks LongRiver’s first investment in the UK, underscoring strong international confidence in the company’s vision and technology. Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, the investment arm of the University of Cambridge, also participated, reflecting the involvement of world class academic expertise from the University of Cambridge within the CamGene team.

“We are thrilled to have the backing of such a strong syndicate of investors who share our vision to transform the treatment of hearing loss through RNA therapeutics”, commented Dr Arpan Desai, CEO

“The success of gene therapy for rare forms of hearing loss was a landmark moment for our field. What we are doing at CamGene represents the next evolution—using mRNA technology to target more common types of hearing loss and reach a much broader patient population. This approach builds on the foundation of previous breakthroughs, but takes us into a new era where transformative treatments can become accessible to millions, not just a few.” Commented Prof Manohar Bance, CSO

UKI2S invests in ground-breaking medicines. CamGene’s combination of a validated target and unique multi payload approach is developing a well differentiated therapeutic. The potential to restore lost hearing will be transformative to a large number of patients globally and UKI2S is excited to be backing the work of the CamGene team. 

About Eos Advisory

Eos invests in and supports the growth of early stage, globally relevant science & technology businesses, with a focus on improving lives. Founded in St Andrews, Scotland in 2014, Eos is a trusted link between non-specialist investors & highly specialist investments. Eos works in long-term partnerships with family offices, individuals, companies & institutional investors who invest through an annual Innovation Fund (EIS) and an investment syndicate. All portfolio companies are focused on either improving the quality of life or environmental sustainability. For more information please visit www.eos-advisory.com

About UKI2S

UKI2S is a national seed investment fund that nurtures innovative businesses to leverage private investment and grow jobs, recycling profits from the realisation of our investments into the next generation of impactful UK companies. We specialise in engineering, biology, defence & security, fusion energy, to facilitate sustainable growth, enhance the health and security of society, improve productivity, and deliver economic gains emerging from UK’s public funding portfolio. Our investment decisions are based on both the potential societal impact of technologies and the potential for financial return. The fund is backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Ministry of Defence (“MOD”), the Department of Science Innovation and Technology(“[DSIT]”), the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and other public bodies. It is independently managed by Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Ltd, the impact-led, global venture capital firm. For more information please visit www.ukinnovationscienceseedfund.co.uk

About LongRiver Investments

LongRiver Investments is a  venture capital firm focused on backing high-growth healthcare and technology companies worldwide. Its debut USD fund of approximately USD 400 million is one of the largest emerging venture capital vehicles in recent years, backed by leading international financial institutions and top-tier asset managers. With venture partners across global innovation hubs, LongRiver leverages deep industry partnerships and global resources to support the next generation of sector-leading companies. For more information please visit www.lr-investments.com

About Cambridge Enterprise Ventures

Part of Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures is the investment arm of the University of Cambridge. We support a diverse range of entrepreneurs and founders by investing University of Cambridge capital into high potential, high impact early-stage businesses. As venture investors, we help founders by building high value-add syndicated rounds, providing board experience and leveraging long standing connections to the Cambridge ecosystem and beyond. To find out more, please visit www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/ventures

About Parkwalk Advisors

Parkwalk is the UK’s most active investor in university spinouts, backing transformative technologies developed by the country’s leading universities and research organisations. As the leading growth EIS fund manager, with £500 million in assets under management, Parkwalk has invested in over 200 companies through its Parkwalk Opportunities and Knowledge Intensive EIS Funds, as well as through enterprise and innovation funds managed for the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol, and Imperial College. Parkwalk focuses on investing in companies addressing real-world challenges with IP-protected innovations across a broad range of sectors, including life sciences, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced materials, genomics, cleantech, future mobility, medtech, and big data. For more information please go to: https://parkwalkadvisors.com/

About o2h Ventures

o2h Ventures is a UK-based investment firm  focused on seeding early-stage biotech therapeutics and related AI opportunities. The firm manages HMRC-approved SEIS and EIS funds and invests in companies developing novel drug discovery platforms, enabling technologies, and services. The o2h team are leaders in the biotech community and have been actively involved as investors, holding various board/industry positions as well as being engaged in grassroots scientific activity for over 20 years. o2h Ventures operates from their proprietary 2.7-acre Mill SciTech Park where they are developing a unique model for incubating small life science companies. For more information, please visit www.o2hventures.com 

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