Hatch BioFund Announces Investment in Optimeos Life Sciences to Advance Novel Nanoparticle Platform for the Delivery of Therapeutic Nucleic Acids and Proteins

Early-stage life sciences fund backs Princeton University spinout pioneering a novel, best-in-class nanoparticle platform for targeted gene therapy

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. & PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hatch BioFund, an early-stage life sciences venture capital firm headquartered at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in Doylestown, PA ("Hatch"), today announced an investment in Optimeos Life Sciences, Inc., a Princeton University spinout developing a proprietary nanoparticle platform for the intracellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules, including RNA, DNA and proteins (“Optimeos”).

Optimeos, with headquarters in Princeton, NJ, has developed a highly differentiated, non-viral nanoparticle drug delivery platform based on a patented process called Coated Inverse Nanocarriers (CINCs), refined over two decades in the laboratory of Princeton University Professor Robert Prud'homme. The technology enables the robust, scalable encapsulation of multiple payload types, including biologics, peptides, RNA, and DNA, into customizable nanocarrier particles with encapsulation efficiencies exceeding 90 percent. Optimeos’ platform enables modular tissue targeting, tunable immunogenicity, and a superior dosing profile, as demonstrated in the company’s lead program, a gene replacement therapy for the rare disease CTLN1, and in its additional pipeline programs, which are directed at T cell engineering and targeted pulmonary applications. Optimeos is actively partnering with biopharmaceutical companies to develop next-generation therapeutics across a broad range of diseases.

"Optimeos was founded on the conviction that the next great wave of medicine — RNA, DNA, and biologic therapies — will only reach its potential if we can deliver these molecules precisely, efficiently, and durably to the right cells and tissues," said Shahram Hejazi, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Optimeos. "We are thrilled to have Hatch join us on our mission to address one of the most consequential bottlenecks in modern drug development: how to deliver complex therapeutic molecules safely, precisely, and at scale."

"We are proud to welcome Optimeos to our portfolio," said Lorenzo Pellegrini, Ph.D., Managing Partner of Hatch BioFund. "Optimeos represents exactly the kind of company Hatch was built to support — exceptional science from a world-class academic institution, a seasoned leadership team, and a platform technology with the potential to unlock an entirely new generation of medicines. We look forward to partnering with the Optimeos team as they bring their technology to its full commercial potential."

"It is gratifying to see the technology developed in my laboratory over twenty years attracting the investment and partnerships necessary to make a real difference in patients' lives," said Robert Prud'homme, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University. "The CINC platform is transformational - it opens possibilities for RNA, DNA, and biologic medicines that simply were not achievable before. Hatch‘s investment is an important milestone in bringing that promise to fruition."

About Optimeos Life Sciences

Optimeos is developing a pipeline of assets based on a novel, highly differentiated, non-viral gene therapy and biologics delivery platform that addresses one of the most consequential bottlenecks in modern drug development: how to deliver complex therapeutic molecules safely, precisely, and at scale. The technology was developed and refined in Professor Prud’homme’s lab at Princeton University to overcome key challenges associated with current lipid nanoparticle delivery technologies. Optimeos’ strategy has been validated by ongoing industry partnerships, with lead programs advancing nonviral gene therapies for in vivo CAR-T and rare metabolic diseases.

For more information, please visit https://optimeos.com/

About Hatch BioFund

Hatch BioFund is an early-stage life sciences venture capital firm headquartered in the Philadelphia region, one of the fastest-growing biotech hubs in the world. Hatch provides early-stage capital to promising biopharma companies, along with access to deep industry expertise and physical platforms to help them realize their missions. Its partners, including Brandywine Realty Trust, Daiichi Sankyo, the Hepatitis B Foundation, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, the PABC in Doylestown, PA and B+labs at Cira Centre in Philadelphia’s University City, provide Hatch and its portfolio companies with unique expertise and synergies. Hatch is committed to working closely with its partners to meet its investment return goals and their strategic objectives.

For more information, please visit www.hatchbiofund.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Optimeos’ technology, development plans, and potential therapeutic benefits of that technology, and the anticipated benefits of the investment by Hatch. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Optimeos and Hatch undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.