Pahr Therapeutics has raised $14 million in a seed financing round to develop therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), led by RA Capital Management, AN Venture Partners, and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC).
Key representatives from these investors have joined the board of directors: Andrew Levin, MD/PhD, Partner at RA Capital; Ken Horne, Managing Partner at AN Venture Partners; and Atsushi Usami, PhD, Partner and Board Director at UTEC.
Incubated at Raven, RA Capital’s incubator, Pahr Therapeutics is led by Neil Buckley. Its co-founders include Drs. Yoshikazu Nakaoka, Makoto Okazawa, and Ryotaro Asano from the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center (NCVC) in Osaka. Dr. Nakaoka, who directs the Vascular Physiology department, has conducted significant research into the molecular mechanisms of PAH. In 2024, he was a finalist at Science2Startup Japan, where his work with Andrew Levin contributed to the formation of Pahr Therapeutics.
KEY QUOTE:
“I am excited to work with RA Capital Management, AN Venture Partners, and UTEC to bring much needed new therapies to PAH patients. Having global investors support the company is inspiring for us, and we look forward to advancing into clinical studies early next year.”
Dr. Nakaoka
