NanoPhoria Bioscience has completed an €83.5 million Series A financing round, marking the largest-ever Series A in Italian biotech history. The funding will advance the company’s lead candidate, NP-MP1, through IND-enabling studies, early clinical development, and GMP manufacturing scale-up, while also supporting expansion of its pipeline beyond heart failure.

The round was led by XGEN Venture, Sofinnova Partners, and CDP Venture Capital, with participation from Panakes Partners and an undisclosed European investor. NanoPhoria’s proprietary lung-to-heart nano-in-micro technology enables targeted delivery of therapeutics directly to cardiomyocytes, addressing the root cause of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Preclinical data suggest NP-MP1 improves cardiac contractility and has shown strong efficacy in heart failure models.

“This financing is a transformational milestone for NanoPhoria,” said Claudio De Luca, CEO and co-founder. “It enables us to accelerate clinical development of NP-MP1 and expand our pipeline. Our innovative delivery platform allows us to target previously inaccessible cellular targets in the cardiomyocyte, thereby bringing us closer to delivering life-changing treatments for patients living with serious cardiac and other chronic conditions who are underserved by existing treatments. We are profoundly grateful to our scientific founders, our investors, our Board, and our Chair, Suman Shirodkar, whose vision and efforts have shaped NanoPhoria’s progress and ambition.”

HFrEF affects millions globally, with an estimated five-year mortality rate of around 40%, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutics. NanoPhoria’s approach using NP-MP1 aims to improve outcomes by directly enhancing cardiac function while leveraging a platform that could be applied to other chronic conditions.

Paolo Fundarò, managing partner at XGEN Venture, said: “This investment perfectly aligns with XGEN’s strategy to lead early financing rounds in the most innovative Italian startups that address true medical needs. NanoPhoria’s science provides a novel, and viable, way of delivering highly potent therapeutics directly to the heart, and we look forward to working alongside such a fantastic syndicate of investors.”

Henrijette Richter, managing partner at Sofinnova Partners, added: “NanoPhoria’s platform has the potential to redefine treatment paradigms in cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, which is why we are excited to invest in this company. This financing builds on the early support of my colleague Lucia Faccio, whose role was instrumental in supporting the company in its early days to take shape. The investment reflects Sofinnova’s broader commitment to backing world-class science across Europe, from early-stage company creation to late-stage growth.”

The funding positions NanoPhoria to complete early clinical programmes for NP-MP1, while exploring additional indications and advancing the capabilities of its nano-in-micro delivery platform. The company said it aims to bring a new generation of precision therapies for patients with serious cardiac conditions to the clinic in the near future.