Overview
It was founded in 2013 and has more than 75 team members. The company works with two platform families, LNP delivery systems covering intravenous, intratumoral and intramuscular routes, and mRNA chemistry for sequence engineering and translation optimisation, and combines them into integrated RNA-LNP offerings. It supplies research-grade and GMP-grade RNA, runs a catalogue RNA shop, and operates a cGMP-accredited manufacturing facility at its Niel site. In December 2023 Almirall and etherna signed a multi-target alliance for mRNA-based therapies in medical dermatology, worth up to 300 million EUR in development and commercial milestones plus tiered royalties, and in February 2026 the partners nominated LAD116 as a preclinical candidate for non-melanoma skin cancer. A multi-target collaboration with Dropshot Therapeutics signed in January 2025 covers cardiac and renal disease and carries up to 950 million USD in milestones and royalties. Bernard Sagaert has been chief executive since October 2023, after joining in 2017 and serving as chief operating officer.
Funding history
- 2021 EU grant: 6.9M EUR from the European Commission to accelerate clinical development of mRNA therapies for HPV16-positive cancers
- 2022 Series B2: 39M EUR led by Novalis LifeSciences, with Kenneth Chien, LSP (now EQT Life Sciences), PMV, Grand Pharma, Fund+ and Omega Fund
- 2026 acquisition: Acquired by Valerio Therapeutics at a 30M EUR enterprise value, alongside a 40.25M EUR PIPE financing by Valerio with Artal International (18.0M EUR), Financière de la Montagne (7.0M EUR) and Saint James Luxembourg (1.0M EUR)
Stated facts & numbers
- Legal name: Etherna Immunotherapies
- Founded: 2013
- Headquarters: Niel, Antwerp province
- Employees: Over 75
- CEO: Bernard Sagaert
- Chair of the board: Antonin (Tony) de Fougerolles
- Field: mRNA and lipid nanoparticle technology for nucleic acid medicine
- Platforms: LNP delivery platforms and mRNA chemistry platforms
- Manufacturing: cGMP-accredited facility in Niel
- Named partners: Almirall, Dropshot Therapeutics, DIOSynVax, VIB, Hasselt University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, D2R (McGill University)
- Acquirer: Valerio Therapeutics, definitive agreements signed 24 August 2026
- Enterprise value at acquisition: 30M EUR
Key people
In the news
- Signing this agreement is a defining moment for etherna, and I could not be prouder of what our team has built with the support of our investors. Over the past years, we have turned a decade of mRNA and LNP expertise into platforms capable of reaching far beyond what conventional mRNA and delivery and manufacturing technologies could ever achieve. Joining forces with Valerio gives that platform the scale, the targeting capabilities and the resources to move faster and further than we could alone. I want to thank our
- Belgisch biotechbedrijf Etherna in Franse handen14:44 Na vergeefse pogingen om een kankerbehandeling en een coronavaccin te ontwikkelen, valt het verlieslatende Belgische biotechbedrijf Etherna in handen van het Franse Valerio Therapeutics.
De Tijd Farma · 8 Jul 2026
Alumni 2 went on to found or lead
Marc DechampsCEO ad interim→Chief Executive Officer at Bioxodes
Tom BosschaertsProject and Grant Manager→Chief Operating Officer at ImmuneWatch
Bernard SagaertInterim CEO→Member Board of Directors at Alliance for mRNA Medicines
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