Cayuga Closes $8M Seed Funding

Novel Therapeutic for Life-Threatening Hemorrhage, CAY001, to Advance to Clinic

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, December 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Cayuga Biotech, Inc., a company developing novel therapeutics to address life-threatening hemorrhage, today announced the closing of $8M seed funding. Wharton Alumni Angels led $5M in funding with participation from: Gopher Angels (University of Minnesota); Mass Medical Angels; New York Ventures (the venture arm of Empire State Development); NuFund Venture Group; Purchase Capital; SideCar Ventures; SOSV; TBD Angels; Walnut Ventures; and others. In addition, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Research & Engineering Division - Combat Casualty Care Research Portfolio through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), provided a $3M award.

“We are grateful to our array of investors spanning the East and West Coasts, as well as the Midwest, along with support from the DHA, for their recognition of hemorrhage as a significant and urgent unmet need,” said Andrea Ashford-Hicks, Chief Executive Officer, Cayuga Biotech.

This funding will help advance the Phase 1 clinical trial for CAY001, a first-in-class, synthetic polyphosphate-silica nanoparticle (polyP-SNP) complex, to generate human proof-of concept data in 2026.

“We are happy to support the advancement of CAY001 into the clinic as it has the potential to profoundly impact human health," said James Carroll, President and Board Chairman of Wharton Alumni Angels, and CEO of RNA NanoBiotics, Inc. Hemorrhage causes nearly two million deaths each year, often following surgery, childbirth, trauma, or the use of blood thinners. Today’s current treatments do not address non-compressible bleeding sites (such as intracranial and from penetrating injury) quickly enough and do not address many types of coagulation dysfunction.

“Increasing survivability of the warfighter through advancing treatments for hemorrhage is a priority for our mission. Mitigation of the challenges that remain in treating hemorrhage on the battlefield as the leading cause of preventable death, remains at the core of the Combat Casualty Care Research Portfolio,” said Therese West, DNP, Portfolio Manager at Defense Health Agency Research & Engineering Division- Combat Casualty Care Research Portfolio. “We are pleased to support Cayuga in their critical work.”

The upcoming Phase 1 trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-ascending dose trial in healthy volunteers to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic activity of CAY001. It utilizes blood biomarkers that are well-established predictors of hemostatic outcomes.

"As Cayuga’s first and largest institutional investor, and one of their earliest supporters from their days participating in SOSV’s IndieBio startup development program in NYC, it's great to see this team hit such a meaningful milestone,” said Stephen Chambers, General Partner at SOSV. “From first check to Phase 1, Cayuga has shown the discipline and ambition needed to move the field forward."

About Cayuga Biotech, Inc.
Cayuga Biotech is a clinical-stage company developing novel therapeutics to address life-threatening hemorrhage by harnessing the body’s innate ability to stop bleeding. Cayuga’s pipeline includes CAY001 (polyP-SNP complex), in development for acute major hemorrhage; CAY002, a discovery-stage program for inherited bleeding disorders, and; a portfolio of additional early-stage programs across the healing continuum. Treatment of bleeding is the first of many therapeutic applications for Cayuga’s proprietary polyP platform. For more information visit www.CayugaBiotech.com.

About MTEC
The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium is a 501(c)(3) biomedical technology consortium that is internationally-dispersed, collaborating with multiple government agencies under a 10-year renewable Other Transaction Agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. The consortium focuses on the development of medical solutions that protect, treat, and optimize the health and performance of U.S. military personnel and civilians. To find out more about MTEC, visit https://mtec-sc.org/.

Disclaimer
“The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government."

Andrea Ashford-Hicks
Cayuga Biotech
Media@cayugabiotech.com

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