Laverock Therapeutics
UK biotech company developing gene-silencing therapeutics, awarded a £2.2m Innovate UK grant in June 2026.
Last refreshed: 7 June 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
- What does Laverock Therapeutics do?
- Laverock Therapeutics is a UK biotech developing RNA interference (RNAi) gene-silencing medicines. RNAi drugs work by introducing synthetic RNA that degrades specific messenger RNA, preventing production of disease-causing proteins.Source: Laverock Therapeutics
- What is RNA interference and why is it a promising drug technology?
- RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological mechanism that silences specific genes by degrading messenger RNA before it can produce protein. It is promising as a therapeutic because it can hit targets that small-molecule drugs cannot, and approved drugs have shown durable multi-month effect from a single dose.Source: Laverock Therapeutics
- How much did Laverock Therapeutics receive from Innovate UK?
- Laverock Therapeutics received a £2.2m Innovate UK grant awarded on 1 June 2026 to advance its gene-silencing therapeutics pipeline.Source: Innovate UK
Background
Laverock Therapeutics is a UK biotechnology company developing gene-silencing medicines using RNA interference (RNAi) and related oligonucleotide-based technologies. RNAi therapeutics work by introducing synthetic RNA molecules that bind to and degrade specific messenger RNA sequences, preventing the production of disease-causing proteins. The approach has attracted significant pharmaceutical industry investment after the first generation of approved RNAi drugs demonstrated durable clinical efficacy, particularly in rare genetic diseases and cardiovascular conditions. Laverock focuses on identifying targets where conventional small-molecule drugs have failed or where RNAi offers a superior duration of effect.
In June 2026, Laverock Therapeutics received a £2.2m Innovate UK grant awarded on 1 June 2026, providing public research and development funding to advance its pipeline. The award reflects Innovate UK's continued support for UK biotech companies working on next-generation therapeutic modalities at a stage where clinical-development capital remains scarce and grant funding is critical to de-risking early programmes before Series A fundraising.
Laverock's Innovate UK award places it within a cohort of UK biotechs receiving public support during a period when the grant count has fallen to a ten-year low across the wider innovation economy, making individual awards more significant for the companies that receive them. The gene-silencing therapeutic area has seen growing commercial validation globally, and UK companies like Laverock are competing with US and European peers for both talent and investor attention.