The Dutch biotech’s SureTACs platform addresses membrane proteins, long elusive in traditional drug discovery, by engineering their elimination rather than merely blocking them. Biovance Capital has joined as a new co-lead, alongside Kurma Partners, in the final close bringing the seed round to €17 million.
Most drugs function by inhibiting proteins. They attach to targets, preventing harmful actions. However, this is only feasible when targets have suitable pockets to block, and many significant cancer and autoimmune disease-related proteins do not. These proteins are membrane-bound, structurally complex, and have been deemed “undruggable” for years. Laigo Bio, a biotech in Utrecht, approaches these proteins differently by engineering their destruction.
The company has finalized an oversubscribed €17 million seed round, adding €5.5 million to the €11.5 million raised in December 2025, with Biovance Capital joining as co-lead investor alongside Kurma Partners.
The full investor group includes Kurma Partners, Biovance Capital, Curie Capital, Argobio Studio, Angelini Ventures, Eurazeo, Oncode Bridge Fund, ROM Utrecht Region, and Cancer Research Horizons. Dr. João Incio from Biovance Capital has joined the Board of Directors.
Laigo’s platform, SureTACs (Surface Removal Targeting Chimeras), creates bispecific antibodies that connect a disease-causing membrane protein with an E3 ligase enzyme at the cell surface. This enforced proximity triggers ubiquitination, leading to targeted protein degradation via the lysosome.
This approach results in the complete removal of the target protein from the cell surface with selectivity that minimizes damage to healthy tissue and reduces side effects compared to conventional methods.
Developed in Professor Madelon Maurice’s lab at UMC Utrecht and the Oncode Institute, Laigo’s capital will advance its lead oncology programs through preclinical studies before first-in-human trials and broaden discovery work across three candidate programs targeting autoimmune and immunology indications, such as graft rejection.
Laigo plans to advance its oncology pipeline internally through preclinical stages before partnering with pharmaceutical companies for clinical trials, while the autoimmune programs are in early discovery stages.
Founded by the Oncode Institute, the Oncode Bridge Fund, and Argobio Studio—with participation from Kurma Partners, BPI France, and Angelini Ventures—Laigo is led by Dr. Matthew Baker, CEO since December 2025, who has over 20 years of drug development experience in inflammation and oncology.
The Utrecht biotech is among few companies globally focusing on E3 ligase-mediated degradation of membrane proteins, unlike established players like Arvinas and C4 Therapeutics that target intracellular proteins. Membrane proteins pose significant engineering challenges but offer a vast, largely untapped reservoir of validated disease targets.