Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 29, 2026 — CE-Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Crescent Enterprises, has invested in Aptadir Therapeutics through a €40 million seed round, the largest biotech seed financing in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. The funding will support advancement of Aptadir’s preclinical RNA inhibitor–based therapeutics toward clinical development.
The €40 million round will fund Aptadir’s next stage of growth, advancing a pipeline of disease‑modifying investigational RNA therapeutics and supporting additional programmes across genetic disorders and oncology. Aptadir’s lead candidate, CAP1‑FMR1, is being developed for Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic condition associated with intellectual disability, learning difficulties and developmental delays.
Aptadir Therapeutics platform and lead candidate
Aptadir’s platform is built on a novel class of RNA inhibitors called DNMTs Interacting RNAs, or DiRs. These molecules are designed to block aberrant DNA methylation at specific genes, potentially reversing abnormal gene silencing, reactivating gene expression and restoring normal biological function. The company has demonstrated this effect in complex patient‑derived disease models and is developing a broader pipeline of drug candidates based on the technology.
Dr. Giovanni Amabile, CEO and Founder of Aptadir Therapeutics, said: “At Aptadir, we are pioneering a fundamentally new therapeutic approach aimed at reversing disease-causing epigenetic silencing and restoring the expression of genes that have been switched off. This has the potential to transform the way we treat genetic diseases that, until now, have been considered irreversible, moving beyond managing symptoms toward addressing the underlying cause of disease. We are proud to have CE-Ventures join us on this journey and share our ambition to turn this groundbreaking science into transformative therapies for patients.”
Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO and Head of Investments at Crescent Enterprises, said: “CE-Ventures continues to expand its biotech portfolio by backing leading technologies with the potential to deliver therapies for areas of greatest unmet medical need. Aptadir is another compelling example of the innovative companies we support to help bring meaningful new treatment options to patients.”
