BOSTON– Pahr Therapeutics has announced the successful closing of a $14 million seed financing round to support the development of innovative treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare and life-threatening cardiovascular condition. The round was co-led by RA Capital Management, AN Venture Partners, and University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC).
The funding will enable the biotech startup to advance its preclinical research and move toward clinical trials slated to begin early next year. As part of the financing agreement, Andrew Levin, M.D., Ph.D., Partner at RA Capital; Ken Horne, Managing Partner at AN Venture Partners; and Atsushi Usami, Ph.D., Partner at UTEC, have joined Pahr Therapeutics’ board of directors.
Pahr Therapeutics was incubated at Raven, the company-building arm of RA Capital Management, and is led by Neil Buckley, a Venture Partner at Raven. The company was co-founded by a team of cardiovascular researchers from the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center (NCVC) in Osaka, including Drs. Yoshikazu Nakaoka, Makoto Okazawa, and Ryotaro Asano. Dr. Nakaoka, who serves as Director of the Vascular Physiology department at NCVC, has conducted groundbreaking work on the molecular mechanisms underlying PAH—a foundation that informs Pahr’s novel therapeutic strategies.
“I am excited to work with RA Capital Management, AN Venture Partners, and UTEC to bring much-needed new therapies to PAH patients,” said Dr. Nakaoka. “Having global investors support our mission is deeply motivating, and we look forward to entering clinical development early next year.”
The company’s formation was catalyzed in part by Dr. Nakaoka’s participation in Science2Startup Japan 2024, where he was a finalist. His collaboration with Andrew Levin during the mentoring process helped crystallize the vision for Pahr Therapeutics.
With support from prominent investors and a leadership team grounded in scientific excellence, Pahr Therapeutics aims to reshape the treatment landscape for PAH—a condition with limited options and high unmet medical need.
