Milan-based biotech company Aptadir Therapeutics has raised $45 million in seed funding to develop new treatments for difficult-to-treat genetic diseases.

The funding is one of the largest early-stage investments in an Italian healthcare startup and is also among the bigger early-stage biotech rounds in Europe, according to the company.

The round was led by 4BIO Capital, a London-based life sciences investor. Existing pre-seed investor Extend, Italy’s national technology transfer hub for biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, also participated.

Other investors included CDP Venture Capital, XGEN Venture, and CE-Ventures.

Aptadir is currently working at the preclinical stage. The company is developing a new type of RNA inhibitors that can silence faulty genes. Its goal is to use this technology to develop treatments for genetic diseases and cancers that have limited treatment options.

Giovanni Amabile, founder and CEO (pictured) said: “The magnitude of this seed round reflects the exciting potential of our DiRs technology and the quality of a truly international scientific team. With the backing of our investors, we now have the opportunity to develop a pipeline of drug candidates with the potential to restore genetic pathways that, for decades, have been considered irreversibly silenced.”

Aptadir’s technology is based on research from an international team of scientists working in RNA and DNA biology, genetic diseases, leukemia, and immunotherapy.

The company is initially developing a treatment for Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, and developmental delays.

Aptadir will use the new funding to advance its pipeline of potential treatments and continue developing its therapies.