TRIMTECH Therapeutics has secured an additional $14 million in seed financing to support development of targeted protein degradation therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

TRIMTECH Therapeutics has raised an additional $14 million in seed funding, bringing the total value of its seed financing round to $47 million (£35 million).

The financing was led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC and BGF, which join existing investors including Cambridge Innovation Capital, DDF, M Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, Eli Lilly and Company, MP Healthcare Venture Management and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures.

The Cambridge-based biotechnology company is developing small molecule therapies designed to target and degrade protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.

The new funding will be used to advance the company’s proprietary TRIMTAC and TRIMGLUE targeted protein degradation platforms and support progression of its therapeutic portfolio.

TRIMTECH’s technology is based on research into TRIM21, an E3 ligase involved in intracellular protein degradation. According to the company, its degrader technologies are designed to selectively target toxic protein aggregates and oligomers while preserving functional protein forms required for normal cellular activity.

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases and remains a significant challenge in drug development. Existing treatment approaches have had limited success in addressing the underlying biological mechanisms associated with disease progression.

TRIMTECH believes its small molecule approach could offer a new strategy for targeting disease-associated proteins in disorders affecting the central nervous system.

Dr Nicki Thompson, chief executive officer of TRIMTECH Therapeutics, said: “We welcome JJDC and BGF as investors in our seed financing round and thank them for their support. This additional funding allows us to forge ahead with developing our portfolio of CNS penetrant degraders based on our unique platforms. TRIMTECH has incredibly strong scientific foundations combined with a world leading team augmented by a globally recognised investor syndicate – I’m excited to work with this exceptional group, to deliver the next phase of growth for the company.”

As part of the financing, representatives from JJDC and BGF will join the TRIMTECH Therapeutics board as non-executive directors.

The investment reflects continued interest in targeted protein degradation technologies, an area of drug discovery attracting increasing attention across the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Researchers are exploring whether these approaches can expand the range of disease-causing proteins that can be addressed using small molecule medicines, particularly in areas of high unmet need such as neurodegenerative disease.