Dutch startup Leyden Laboratories, which has formed to develop intranasal vaccines, has closed a €40 Million Series A financing led by GV (formerly known as Google Ventures), the company said. Leyden Labs was founded by former Mckinsey Partner Koenraad Wiedhaup, Janssen Senior Advisor Jaap Goudsmit, and former Crucell CEO Ronald Brus, with Wiedhaup as CEO, Goudsmit as Chief Scientific Officer, and Brus as Chief Business Officer. The company says that “Its intranasal product candidates (e.g. nasal sprays) will be self-administerable, providing people with the freedom to protect themselves instantaneously from infection and prevent transmission.”
Wiedhaup commented, “The speed of development of vaccines during the current pandemic has been impressive, but major global health and economic challenges are evident. If we can develop products that provide immediate protection against existing, mutating and new viruses, we can prevent future pandemics, fight existing ones, and help people strive for a fantastic life. We pursue this critical and ambitious mission with a great team of seasoned and curious biotech leaders and scientists.”
GV general partner David Schenkein said, “The Leyden Labs leadership team includes world-renowned virologists and industry veterans who bring substantial relevant experience to establish and advance a powerful portfolio of intranasal products. The company is well-positioned to leverage its platform to free people from the burden of respiratory viral pandemics and I look forward to working together to achieve this goal.”
Read the Leyden Laboratories press release.
