Biotech Made in Italy

Iama Therapeutics: Enea Tech invests 5 million for research into epilepsy and autism

The funding is part of an overall €15 million round and starts efficacy trials for the drug candidate of the Iit spin-off

by Francesca Cerati

16 April 2025

2' min read

Key points

A promising drug candidate
Factual solutions for thousands of patients
The IIT and the start-up model: an ecosystem that works

2' min read

On the occasion of National Made in Italy Day, the Enea Tech and Biomedical Foundation announced a strategic investment of €5 million in the biopharmaceutical startup Iama Therapeutics, an innovative reality born in 2021 as a spin-off of the Italian Institute of Technology (Iit) in Genoa. The aim is to support the development of new drug therapies for complex neurological diseases such as refractory epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The financing is part of an overall EUR 15 million round led by Indaco Venture Partners SGR and supported not only by Enea Tech, but also by Claris Ventures Sgr and Cdp Venture Capital Sgr - Fondo Evoluzione.

A promising drug candidate

The star of this new milestone is Iama-6, the main drug candidate developed by the company. The result of joint work by IIT's 'Brain Development and Disease' and 'Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery' research teams, coordinated respectively by Laura Cancedda and Marco De Vivo, Iama-6 has been patented and has already been published in prestigious journals such as Nature Medicine and Chem. Iama Therapeutics recently announced that the compound has passed human toxicity tests, thus paving the way for the start of phase 2 of the clinical study, in which its therapeutic efficacy will be assessed.

Factual solutions for thousands of patients

The project also includes the testing of a selective inhibitor of the Nkcc1 protein, which has shown encouraging preclinical results for the treatment of symptoms associated not only with epilepsy and autism, but also with Down syndrome and rare neurodevelopmental diseases.

In Italy, an estimated 500,000 people suffer from epilepsy, with between 15% and 37% resistant to currently available therapies. Globally, there are 50 million patients with active epilepsy. An effective pharmacological response could therefore radically change the quality of life of millions of people.

The IIT and the start-up model: an ecosystem that works

Iama Therapeutics represents an emblematic case study for IIT's approach to the valorisation of scientific research. The 37 start-ups that have emerged from the Institute's four research areas - robotics, nanomaterials, life sciences and computational sciences - have raised a total of around €140 million in private investment and involve over 250 professionals. In particular, start-ups active in the life sciences area, such as Iama, account for 32% of the total, highlighting the growing interest of venture capital in the Italian biomedical sector.

With this investment, the Enea Tech and Biomedical Foundation not only strengthens its commitment to promoting Italian-made biotech, but also relaunches the role of public research and the synergy between institutions, investors and scientists as a driver of innovation and industrial development.