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Varda Space Industries secures $251 million for space-based drug research
Varda Space Industries has raised $251 million in a Series D funding round led by Lux Capital and Natural Capital. This investment brings the California-based startup's total capital to $598 million, valuing the company at $1.6 billion.
The company intends to use the funds to expand its production capacities and strengthen pharmaceutical partnerships. Varda focuses on utilizing microgravity in orbit to develop drug formulations with improved solubility, a process that is difficult to replicate under Earth's physical conditions.
This financial milestone coincides with the launch of the W-7 spacecraft via a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission aims to study the crystallization of cancer medications, specifically PROTACs—a class of drugs designed to degrade disease-causing proteins. In microgravity, these complex molecules can form more uniform and soluble crystal structures, which will be analyzed upon their return to Earth to improve cancer therapies.
Entities
Cape Canaveral · Lux Capital · Natural Capital · SpaceX · Varda Space Industries
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The W-7 mission focuses on the crystallization of PROTAC cancer drugs in microgravity. www.leinetal24.de · www.op-online.de · www.tz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The W-7 spacecraft was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral. www.leinetal24.de · www.op-online.de · www.tz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Series D round was led by Lux Capital and Natural Capital. www.leinetal24.de · www.op-online.de · www.tz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Varda Space Industries secured $251 million in a Series D funding round. www.leinetal24.de · www.op-online.de · www.tz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Varda Space Industries has a total capital of $598 million. www.leinetal24.de · www.op-online.de · www.tz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The company's valuation is $1.6 billion. www.leinetal24.de · www.op-online.de · www.tz.de