Nionyx Bio Launches with $4M Seed to Transform AAV Gene Therapy for Kidney Disease with Proprietary Capsid Platform and Pipeline
- Raised $4M seed financing led by 2048 Ventures, with participation from New York Ventures (Empire State Development), White Mug Healthcare, AIN Ventures, and Pathway Bioventures
- Proceeds will advance Nionyx’s proprietary capsid platform, AAV Kidney Atlas, to enable first-in-class, one-time gene therapies for renal diseases, and support early pipeline development
- Led by industry veterans with proven expertise in gene therapy, kidney biology, and clinical development
NEW YORK, NY — September 29, 2025 — Nionyx Bio, a precision focused gene therapy company developing a proprietary AAV capsid platform and pipeline for renal diseases, today announced its launch and the closing of $4 million in seed financing led by 2048 Ventures, with participation from New York Ventures (Empire State Development), White Mug Healthcare, AIN Ventures, and Pathway Bioventures. The funding will support development of the company’s engineered adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid platform, the AAV Kidney Atlas, and pipeline of one-time, precision therapies for renal diseases.
“Gene therapy delivery is entering its next phase, defined by precision,” said Magdalena Tyrpien, Co-Founder, President & CEO of Nionyx. “Our mission is to set a new standard for how therapies are designed, built on efficiency, safety, and scale. By focusing on precision delivery, we aim to unlock better outcomes for patients while minimizing risk. At Nionyx, we are committed to translating these advances into potentially transformative treatments and we are proud to partner with 2048 Ventures and a syndicate that shares our urgency to expand therapeutic options.”
Nionyx is building the first AAV Kidney Atlas, a comprehensive reference of capsid tropism in human kidney tissue, and advancing a pipeline of targeted, potentially one-time gene therapies for patients with kidney disease. Our platform spans capsid, cassette, and delivery, all designed to engineer the future of gene therapy with greater precision and safety.
“We believe the most important breakthroughs come from founders tackling big problems with purpose and innovation. The Nionyx platform approach to kidney gene therapy is timely and ambitious, and we're proud to back their mission to deliver safer, one-time treatments to patients” said Julie Wolf, PhD, Partner at 2048 Ventures and member of the Nionyx Board.
Veteran Gene Therapy Leadership Team
Nionyx is launching with a veteran leadership team, bringing proven expertise in gene therapy, kidney biology, and clinical development:
- Magdalena Tyrpien, MBA, Co-Founder, President & CEO – former Chief Business Officer at Forge Biologics, where she led the company’s $620M acquisition by Ajinomoto; seasoned gene therapy executive with senior leadership roles at PTC Therapeutics and Abeona Therapeutics, bringing extensive experience in business development, transactions, and capital formation across rare disease and gene therapy.
- Prof. Leszek Lisowski, PhD, MBA, Co-Founder & CTO – internationally recognized AAV capsid engineer and co-founder of LogicBio Therapeutics; formerly at Stanford University and the Salk Institute, now Unit Head of the Translational Vectorology Research Unit at Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), with over 20 years of leadership in gene therapy vector design, development, and translation.
- Juan Ruiz, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Preclinical Development – previously Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Forge Biologics and Chief Medical Officer at Abeona Therapeutics; seasoned rare disease executive with over 25 years of leadership spanning gene therapy development, regulatory filings, and global preclinical and clinical programs from IND to Phase II.
About Nionyx Bio
Nionyx Bio is redefining gene therapy for the kidney. Its proprietary AAV capsid platform is designed to deliver one-time, tissue-targeted therapies with improved safety, precision, and scalability. Backed by top-tier investors and led by a team of gene therapy pioneers, Nionyx is building the AAV Kidney Atlas to de-risk development and accelerate a new class of renal gene therapies.
About 2048 Ventures
2048 Ventures is a thesis-driven early stage venture capital firm based in NYC and Boston and is investing across US. 2048 ventures writes $500K - $2M checks and lead Pre-Seed or Seed rounds in Vertical AI, Deep Tech, Healthcare and Biotech. For more information, visit 2048.vc.