Nava Therapeutics

About Nava Therapeutics

Nava Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2022, developing a new class of genetic medicines. The firm is engineering a proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform to deliver RNA-based therapies with high precision to specific cells and tissues. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with a presence in Philadelphia, PA. The company's core technology centers on a modular LNP platform developed through rational design and the exploration of novel chemical space. This platform is engineered to achieve selective tissue tropism, surmounting the significant industry challenge of delivering genetic medicines, such as RNA, safely and effectively to tissues beyond the liver. By enabling delivery to previously hard-to-reach tissues, Nava's platform aims to unlock new therapeutic possibilities for diseases that are currently untreatable. Nava Therapeutics is translating its platform into a pipeline of drug candidates. Its initial focus is on developing in vivo CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases and RNA treatments for chronic kidney disease. The company has presented preclinical data for these programs, highlighting its progress in kidney gene editing and in vivo CAR-T applications. The company is led by Chief Executive Officer Federico Mingozzi, a seasoned executive in gene therapy who previously served as Chief Science & Technology Officer at Spark Therapeutics. His experience includes extensive research at institutions like the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, INSERM, and Genethon. The leadership team also includes Chief Technology Officer Ali Nahvi, who brings experience from Spark Therapeutics and Flagship Pioneering's Mirai Bio, where he was involved from its inception. The company's initial capital came from a seed round in 2023 from F-Prime Capital.