Aptadel Therapeutics

www.aptadeltx.com ↗ ·Barcelona ·Pre-Series A

Aptadel Therapeutics is a Barcelona-based preclinical biotech company that develops RNA aptamer-based targeted therapies for cancer. Its proprietary platform links tumour-targeting aptamers to therapeutic payloads such as small RNA molecules or chemotherapeutic drugs (aptamer-drug conjugates), and its lead programme, ADEL-101, targets Ewing sarcoma, a rare paediatric cancer of bone and soft tissue. The company was founded in December 2020 as a spin-off of IDIBELL's sarcoma research group led by Óscar Martínez-Tirado, and it operates from the Barcelona Science Park. It raised a €1.7 million seed round in January 2021 from private investors linked to the Alba Pérez Foundation, a €2 million bridge round in March 2026 led by returning investor Little Warrior Foundation with new entry from Japan's Newsight Tech Angels, and a €450,000 AECC IMPACTO grant from the Spanish Association Against Cancer; it is preparing a €9 million Series A to reach clinical trials.

Founded

2020

Founders

Total funds raised

€4.2M

SectorsBiotech, Oncology, RNA Therapeutics, Drug Development Start-up MapHealthtech & Bio › Drug discovery & therapeutics developers

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Founders

Gisela Lorente

Co-founder & CEO

Óscar Martínez-Tirado

Academic Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

Global models 4

Ophthotech

United States · www.ivericbio.com ↗

VC-backed biotech built on a proprietary aptamer therapeutic (Fovista) and developed it in the clinic before an exit, the same aptamer-as-drug model, though in ophthalmology rather than cancer.

~$200MComparable

NOXXON Pharma

Germany · www.noxxon.com ↗

European biotech developing oligonucleotide aptamer-like 'Spiegelmer' drugs for solid tumours, including paediatric brain cancer, taking a nucleic-acid targeting platform from preclinical work into oncology trials.

~$200MComparable

Archemix

United States

Aptamer therapeutics platform company that built its own pipeline and made money by licensing aptamer drug candidates to pharma partners.

~$150MComparable

Bicycle Therapeutics

United Kingdom · www.bicycletherapeutics.com ↗

Links small synthetic tumour-targeting ligands to toxin payloads (Bicycle Toxin Conjugates), the closest oncology analogue to Aptadel's aptamer-drug conjugates, and funds itself through VC and pharma partnerships.

~$130MComparable

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Investors 3

Little Warrior Foundation

www.littlewarrior.org ↗

2 rounds, led 1 · 2025–26 United States

Fundación Alba Pérez

Led Seed 2021 Spain

Newsight Tech Angels

ntangels.com ↗

Pre-Series A 2026 Japan

Funding rounds 3

Date	Round	Amount	Lead
2026-03-24	Pre-Series A	€2M	Lead not disclosed +2 more
2025-02-11	Seed (estimated)	approximately €480K	Little Warrior Foundation
2021-01-21	Seed (estimated)	€1.7M	Fundación Alba Pérez

News 2

Open as list →

Published	Article
2026-03-24	Aptadel Therapeutics raises €2M to develop its drug against Ewing sarcoma ↗ Ara (English edition) 2026-03-24
2025-02-12	Aptadel Therapeutics and Little Warrior Foundation join forces in the fight against Ewing sarcoma ↗ Biotech Spain 2025-02-12