ZAKA VC invests in Lime Therapeutics, unlocking a new class of lipid-targeting medicines
ZAKA VC is thrilled to unveil its latest investment that promises to revolutionize human health span: Lime Therapeutics. Founded by a visionary trio – Shardule Shah, Prakrit Jena, and Dan Heller – Lime Therapeutics is set to redefine the landscape of human health by unlocking a new class of lipid-targeting medicines to combat cancer, cardiometabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders.
What sets Lime Therapeutics apart is its groundbreaking technology, LipidSense™. This breakthrough innovation allows for the rapid measurement of lipid flow in cells at an unprecedented speed – over 20,000 times faster than the current standard. With LipidSense™, Lime Therapeutics not only accelerates the pace of lipidomics research but also enables the identification of potential new drugs that can alter lipid biology, thus opening doors to novel therapeutic avenues.
In an industry marked by a shift towards establishing product focus using novel platform technologies, Lime Therapeutics stands out with its rapidly deployable and scalable LipidSense™ technology. This unique advantage positions Lime Therapeutics as a frontrunner in uncovering druggable biology mediated by lipids, an area that has long been overlooked despite its critical importance in human health.
The co-founders’ journey from academia to entrepreneurship reflects their unwavering commitment to bridging the gap between scientific discovery and tangible patient outcomes. Shardule Shah‘s passion for bringing treatments from the bench to the bedside, coupled with Prakrit Jena‘s expertise in engineering, and Dan Heller‘s pioneering research in cancer nanomedicine, culminated in the inception of Lime Therapeutics. Shortly after the company was formed, the founding team added the deep knowledge of Mariluz Soula in the areas of cancer metabolism, cell death, and lipid biology to increase the speed at which early discoveries can be translated into meaningful outcomes for patients.
As Lime Therapeutics continues to make strides in the field of lipidomics, ZAKA VC is proud to support their mission.
The team is building a groundbreaking science platform which is able to detect and target lipid accumulation non-invasively and efficiently. We as well as the experts in our network were impressed by their speed of movement as well as their ability to utilize data and target conditions such as cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Managing Partner of ZAKA VC, Jan Kasper
Lime Therapeutics has not only attracted top talent but has also secured early stage funding, including a Golden Ticket Award from Bristol Myers Squibb and the XSeed Award from Deerfield Capital Management. In addition, Inaki Berenguer, an angel investor and Managing Director of Life X Ventures, notes, “In life sciences, the truly exciting ventures lie where cutting-edge science meets well timed development, measured risk, exceptional leadership, and a vast market opportunity. I’m thrilled to be backing Shardule and the team at Lime as they pursue this groundbreaking work.”
Joe Turner of Jolt VC also commented, “Jolt VC was thrilled to be able to support Lime’s fundraise, after garnering a high degree of conviction around all aspects of the company’s tech stack and commercial opportunity. Shardule and Prakrit bring a remarkable breadth, as well as depth of talent, proven by their ability to develop the platform from an internal (R&D) and external (BD) perspective, simultaneously.”
In addition, Lime Therapeutics is partnering with renowned institutions and industry giants like Novo Nordisk. With a team dedicated to driving innovation and a technology poised to transform human health, Lime Therapeutics represents a beacon of hope in the quest for improved health span.
As we look to the future, Lime Therapeutics stands at the forefront of a limitless frontier where chemistry, engineering, and biology converge to address some of the most pressing challenges in human health. Together with ZAKA VC, Lime Therapeutics is poised to redefine the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare and usher in a new era of wellness for all.