Dutch biotech Leyden Labs has raised €40 million to develop a nasal spray platform that aims to protect against influenza and other respiratory viruses. The company focuses on intranasal delivery, potentially offering a needle-free alternative to traditional vaccines.
The round brings together the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Invest-NL, the Gates Foundation Strategic Investment Fund, ClavystBio, and other investors. The funding follows Leyden Labs' selection for the EIC STEP Scale Up programme.
The intranasal protection space is crowded, with players like Codagenix and Meissa Vaccines pursuing similar approaches. However, Leyden Labs' platform targets multiple virus families, including both influenza and coronaviruses, potentially broadening its market. The Gates Foundation's involvement signals interest in scalable, low-cost solutions.
This investment reflects growing investor appetite for needle-free vaccine technologies and pandemic preparedness tools. If successful, Leyden Labs' approach could simplify annual vaccination campaigns and improve access in low-resource settings. The EIC's backing suggests European confidence in the platform's potential.
Still, intranasal vaccines have faced challenges with efficacy and manufacturing at scale. No clinical data from Leyden Labs' platform was disclosed in the announcement, and the path to regulatory approval remains uncertain.