Avige

AVIGI Therapeutics is a pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company based in Leiden, Netherlands, specializing in the development of covalent small-molecule drugs. A spinout from Leiden University, the company leverages a proprietary platform to design mechanism-based covalent inhibitors, or 'suicide substrates,' that selectively target the enzyme heparanase (HPSE). AVIGI's lead program, VL166, is being developed to treat diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and advanced solid tumors, such as pancreatic cancer, by halting core molecular drivers of tissue damage and tumor progression. The company is supported by a distinguished scientific advisory board and has received early-stage funding from UNIIQ and NWO to advance its pipeline of disease-modifying therapies. By permanently and selectively inhibiting its target, AVIGI aims to provide a novel therapeutic strategy that protects organ structure and improves patient outcomes in chronic and life-threatening conditions.