Revolutionizing Drug Discovery: Scripta Therapeutics Secures €10 Million in Funding

Oxford BioTech startup Scripta Therapeutics has officially emerged from stealth mode with the announcement of a €10.3 million ($12 million) Seed round to revolutionize traditional approaches to drug discovery.

The funding round is spearheaded by Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE) and Apollo Health Ventures, with additional investment from AlbionVC, YZR Capital, and Parkwalk Advisors, as well as support from Oxford University Innovation.

Scripta’s founder and CEO, Peter Hamley, expressed the company’s mission to shift the paradigm of target-based drug discovery in order to develop therapies that have a significant impact on patients. By focusing on understanding and manipulating the key regulators of biology, Scripta aims to identify drugs that not only slow down disease progression but also have the potential to halt it altogether.

The Seed round for Scripta Therapeutics aligns with the broader trend of BioTech investment in Europe in 2025, with a particular emphasis on AI-driven and biology-centric drug discovery.

In the UK, TRIMTECH Therapeutics secured €28.6 million for the advancement of small-molecule degrader therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting the continued interest in CNS-focused innovation. Similarly, Graph Therapeutics in Austria and Aerska in Ireland showcase Europe’s focus on AI-powered discovery and brain-targeted RNA therapeutics.

Another notable example is BIMINI Biotech from the Netherlands, which reflects the growing activity in oncology leveraging computational approaches.

Collectively, these 2025 funding rounds amount to approximately €51 million, underscoring the consistent commitment from investors to platform-based and neuro-centric therapeutics. Scripta’s fundraising further solidifies the UK’s position as a hub for cutting-edge drug discovery.

Ray Barlow, CEO of SynOx Therapeutics, a BioTech business builder, has joined Scripta’s board as a Non-Executive Director to enhance the company’s expertise. Barlow commended Scripta for its innovative approach and data-driven strategy in drug discovery.

Scripta’s unique focus on altering the behavior of transcription factors, the key regulators of gene expression, aims to develop drugs that can not only slow down disease progression but also potentially reverse it. By combining pharmaceutical, BioTech, and disease biology knowledge with advanced computational capabilities, Scripta strives to deliver therapeutics that fundamentally transform patient outcomes.

The company’s approach is rooted in the belief that transcription factors play a pivotal role in driving disease processes and serve as intricate maps of the underlying mechanisms. Through a data-intensive combination of experimental biology, AI, and informatics, Scripta seeks to efficiently identify therapeutics that can modulate these maps to restore healthy cellular states.

Claire Brown, Partner at OSE and board member of Scripta, commended the company for its innovative approach to drug discovery, leveraging the strengths of the University of Oxford and the broader Oxford ecosystem.

While Scripta’s platform has broad applicability across various diseases, the team is initially focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions in collaboration with scientific co-founder Noel Buckley, a Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Oxford.

Marianne Mertens, Partner at Apollo Health Ventures, highlighted the potential of manipulating transcription factors in treating neurodegenerative diseases and other age-related conditions. She praised Scripta’s innovative approach and its alignment with Apollo’s investment strategy of reprogramming diseased cells to address the root causes of age-related illnesses.

In conclusion, Scripta Therapeutics is poised to make a significant impact in the field of drug discovery by leveraging cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of biological mechanisms. With a focus on transcription factors and a data-driven approach, Scripta aims to develop transformative therapies that could revolutionize the treatment of various diseases. The company’s innovative strategy has garnered support from leading investors and industry experts, positioning it as a key player in the BioTech landscape.