San Francisco — Adjuvia Therapeutics has raised $8 million in a Series Seed financing to advance its lead mitochondrial disease therapy into clinical development.
The financing was led by JLO Ventures, with participation from Portfolia Ventures and biopharmaceutical industry executives.
Adjuvia plans to use the proceeds to submit an Investigational New Drug application for ATI-105 later this summer and begin a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers in fall 2026. The company also expects to start a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia in early 2027.
“This financing marks an important milestone for Adjuvia as we prepare to bring ATI-105 into the clinic,” Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Laura Hix Glickman, Ph.D., said. “Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to many rare and chronic diseases, but treatment options remain limited.”
ATI-105 is an oral therapy designed to address oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and organ degeneration associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. The candidate is a proprietary, blood-brain barrier-penetrant lipid nanoparticle formulation of a novel astaxanthin molecule.
Adjuvia said ATI-105 reduced reactive oxygen species and chronic inflammation in preclinical models of mitochondrial disease. The company also reported evidence of cellular repair, improved organ function and longer lifespan in the studies.
“We believe ATI-105 has the potential to address the underlying biology of mitochondrial disease, and this investment will allow us to begin clinically evaluating its safety and therapeutic potential,” Glickman said.
The company initially plans to develop ATI-105 for rare mitochondrial diseases but is also evaluating its potential in age-related chronic conditions and fertility disorders involving mitochondrial dysfunction.
“While our initial focus is on rare mitochondrial diseases, we see broader potential in conditions where mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to disease progression, including age-related chronic diseases and fertility disorders,” Glickman said.
Founded in 2023, Adjuvia is developing therapies intended to repair mitochondrial damage through a multi-targeted approach. The company said the financing also brings additional drug development and commercialization expertise as it moves ATI-105 toward the clinic.
