Hargreave Hale AIM VCT has invested in LabGenius Therapeutics, a drug discovery company combining high-throughput experimentation and machine learning (ML) to discover the next generation of therapeutic antibodies.
The investment is part of an extension to LabGenius’ £35 million Series B round and will support the ongoing development of the company’s internal pipeline of multi-specific antibodies for treating solid tumours as they advance towards clinical development.
Hargreave Hale’s investment underscores its commitment to backing the UK’s world-leading life sciences sector and sees the VCT join an existing group of established investors, including M Ventures, Atomico, Kindred Capital, Lux Capital, Obvious Ventures, Octopus Ventures and LG Corp.
Founded by Dr. James Field, LabGenius has pioneered the development of EVA™ — an ML-driven, closed-loop antibody discovery engine. By generating large quantities of biologically rich experimental data, EVA™ trains computational models to simultaneously co-optimise multiple therapeutically valuable properties, including potency, selectivity and developability. With this approach, LabGenius is able to identify novel, high-performing molecules, often with non-intuitive designs, that are unlikely to have been found using conventional methods.
The company’s lead programme, LGTX-101 is a selectivity-enhanced Nectin-4 x CD3 T-cell engager (TCE) with a novel 3+1 design. LGTX-101 has demonstrated strong preclinical tumour killing activity with minimal activity against Nectin-4 positive healthy cells. LGTX-101 is expected to enter the clinic in 2027. EVA™ has generated a growing pipeline of additional oncology candidates also designed to overcome on-target, off-tumour toxicity; a challenge commonly associated with tumour-targeted TCEs.
Alongside significant pipeline advancements, LabGenius recently entered a second multi-project collaboration with >$100Bn pharmaceutical company, Sanofi. The partnership is focused on the ML-driven optimisation of potential therapeutic antibodies for multiple targets in the area of inflammation.
Anna Salim, Portfolio Manager, Hargreave Hale AIM VCT said, “Our conviction in LabGenius is driven by the depth and originality of the EVA™ platform. By optimising full multispecific constructs rather than individual components, LabGenius can explore complex antibody architectures beyond the limits of conventional methods. We believe this creates a meaningful technical moat and supports the generation of highly differentiated therapeutic candidates. We are delighted to support an exceptional team led by James, alongside a group of top–tier investors and an outstanding board chaired by Dr. Edwin Moses.”
Dr. James Field, Chief Executive Officer of LabGenius Therapeutics, said “The ability to engineer next-generation antibodies holds immense potential value. Over several years, the LabGenius team has pioneered the development of EVA™ – a differentiated discovery platform that systematically identifies novel, high-performing multi-specific and multivalent antibodies with non-intuitive designs. Our approach continues to gain strong validation through meaningful pipeline progress and new pharmaceutical partnerships. These milestones reflect the execution strength of our team, and I look forward to working with our investors as we continue driving better outcomes for patients.”
