It all started with fundamental research and an interdisciplinary collaboration between neuroscientists, including Eero Castrén and his team, and computational biophysicists led by Ilpo Vattulainen at the University of Helsinki. Their long-term collaboration ultimately led to the spinout company Kasvu Therapeutics, which has now raised €30 million to develop new pharmaceuticals for the treatment of major depressive disorder and other brain diseases. The funding represents the largest amount ever raised by a Finnish pharmaceutical development company at the preclinical stage.

The story is a powerful example of how fundamental, curiosity-driven research can develop into applications with potential impact far beyond academia.

Ilpo Vattulainen:
“About eight years ago, we began collaborating with Eero Castrén’s outstanding team, aiming to understand how lipids—and cholesterol in particular—regulate the TrkB neuroreceptor, a key protein involved in brain plasticity. The research was challenging but fascinating, and resulted in several important publications, including papers in Cell and Nature Neuroscience.

“Typically, at this stage, an academic researcher might wrap things up and move on to the next research question. We decided to take a different path.

“We continued testing our ideas, this time with a stronger translational focus. When the results proved promising, we founded a spin-off company. Special thanks go to Giray Enkavi and Misha Girych for their excellent work in developing these concepts.

“Now, Kasvu Therapeutics has reached a major milestone. The company has secured €30 million in Series A funding to advance its lead drug candidate towards clinical trials. This is the largest funding round ever raised by an unlisted Finnish drug development company. The road ahead looks very promising.

“I hope this encourages our researchers—especially younger scientists—to see that research need not stop at academic publications. Research findings can be developed much further and, among other things, translated into new approaches that may ultimately benefit human health.”

The Kasvu story builds on long-term research by the groups of Eero Castrén and Ilpo Vattulainen at the University of Helsinki. The breakthrough emerged from their interdisciplinary work combining neuroscience with computational biophysics, including modelling of interactions involving the TrkB receptor.

Read more about the research and the story behind Kasvu Therapeutics:
University of Helsinki: Kasvu Therapeutics develops a novel way to treat depression Kasvu Therapeutics