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CE-Ventures joins €40m bet on gene-reactivating biotech Aptadir
The funding will help the Italian startup advance a new RNA-based approach for tackling genetic disorders and expand its pipeline into oncology and other diseases
- PUBLISHED: Tue 29 Sept 2026, 3:54 PM
Dubai-based CE-Ventures has invested in Aptadir Therapeutics as part of a €40 million seed funding round that ranks as Italy’s largest biotech seed raise and among the biggest in Europe. The financing will support the startup’s efforts to develop a new class of RNA-based therapies aimed at reversing genetic disorders at their source.
Aptadir, a preclinical biotechnology company, is building treatments based on molecules known as DNMTs Interacting RNAs, or DiRs. The technology is designed to block abnormal DNA methylation that switches genes off, potentially restoring their normal function. The company says it has already demonstrated the approach in patient-derived disease models and is now advancing a broader pipeline of therapies.
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The company’s lead programme, CAP1-FMR1, targets Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic condition associated with intellectual disability, learning difficulties and developmental delays. Funds from the round will be used to move the therapy towards clinical development while also supporting additional programmes in genetic disorders and oncology.
Dr. Giovanni Amabile, CEO and founder of Aptadir Therapeutics, said the company is pursuing a fundamentally different strategy to tackle genetic diseases by addressing the mechanisms that silence genes. “At Aptadir, we are pioneering a fundamentally new therapeutic approach aimed at reversing disease-causing epigenetic silencing and restoring the expression of genes that have been switched off,” he said. “This has the potential to transform the way we treat genetic diseases that, until now, have been considered irreversible.”
For CE-Ventures, the investment expands a life sciences portfolio that already spans drug discovery, genetic medicine and targeted therapeutics, while adding RNA therapeutics as a new area of exposure.
Tushar Singhvi, deputy CEO and head of investments at Crescent Enterprises, said the investment aligns with the firm’s strategy of backing technologies addressing significant unmet medical needs. “CE-Ventures continues to expand its biotech portfolio by backing leading technologies with the potential to deliver therapies for areas of greatest unmet medical need,” he said.
The scientific foundations of Aptadir’s platform were developed by researchers at institutions including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Italy’s National Research Council, the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore and City of Hope National Medical Center.
Dr. Damir Illich, vice president for life sciences at CE-Ventures, said the funding round gives Aptadir a strong position to move the technology forward. “Aptadir’s technology has the potential to transform the treatment of diseases that have previously been beyond the reach of existing therapeutic approaches,” he said.
