Hyderabad-based biotech startup Utopia Therapeutics raises $1.5 million

Utopia Therapeutics, a Hyderabad-based biotech startup developing next-generation vaccines for chronic metabolic diseases, announced it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from Whale Tank, an early-stage venture firm focused on breakthrough life science innovations.

Founded by scientists, The startup is focused on developing next-generation vaccines for chronic metabolic diseases, particularly obesity. It aims to deliver first-in-class vaccines for obesity and related metabolic diseases using novel scientific approaches.

Utopia Therapeutics will use the raised capital to accelerate the preclinical development of UT009, Utopia’s lead immunotherapeutic candidate targeting obesity. UT009 is a novel vaccine designed to modulate the immune system to reduce fat accumulation and improve metabolic health by targeting lipid-associated antigens.

The investment will also support the advancement of UT009 toward regulatory toxicology studies, IND-enabling milestones, and Phase I human clinical trials, the release notes.

Dr. Uday Saxena and Dr. Gopi Kadiyala, founders of Utopia Therapeutics said, “We are thrilled to have Whale Tank as a strategic partner in our journey to redefine obesity treatment. Obesity is a global epidemic with limited long-term therapeutic options. UT009 represents a paradigm shift by differentiating it from current obesity drugs by address the root causes of weight gain. This investment enables us to move swiftly toward clinical translation.”

“A vaccine for metabolic disorders and a regenerative product pipeline coming out of India and entering global markets demonstrates the scientific depth and entrepreneurial maturity that BIRAC has consistently fostered. It’s especially heartening to witness this in my presence. I’m happy to see that some of the companies now being funded by Whale Tank were previously supported by BIRAC. This is a great enabling system — and we’ve always envisioned such investor-driven support for Indian deep-tech science,” said Dr. Jitendra Kumar, MD, BIRAC.

Whale Tank’s Managing Partner, Dr Markandeya Gorantla, added: “Utopia’s approach is bold, scientifically rigorous, and offers enormous potential to disrupt the obesity market. We are excited to support their mission of bringing Immunotherapeutics to the forefront of chronic disease management.”