Minovia Therapeutics Ltd., a clinical-stage biotechnology firm based in Haifa, Israel, has been awarded a $350,000 grant from the Countdown for a Cure Foundation to support the development of novel, blood-based mitochondrial biomarkers, the company said that the funding will enable them to advance research aimed at quantifying mitochondrial content, quality and function and establishing a standardized “MitoScore”.
According to the company, the grant will fund clinical operations to collect blood samples from approximately 30 patients with primary mitochondrial diseases and 140 healthy control samples, which will be analyzed in its laboratories using newly developed biomarkers to determine individual MitoScores.
The company claims that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes both to rare genetic diseases and age-related conditions, and highlights an unmet need for therapies and diagnostic tools. It said that there are currently no approved treatments or functional tests to diagnose and quantify mitochondrial dysfunction across all age groups.
In addition, the company also recently entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Launch One Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. It said that the combined entity, expected to close in late 2025, will operate as Minovia Therapeutics and trade on Nasdaq under a new ticker symbol.
