- Company aims to link genetic variants to their biological functions and effects on disease
- Founding team includes disease genomics expert and Broad Institute Member Melina Claussnitzer, PHD
- CaMaRa’s business model builds on its founders’ proven success building successful companies in neuroscience and cardiometabolic diseases using a similar strategy
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CaMaRa, a company utilizing human genetics to identify novel treatments for cardiometabolic and renal diseases, today launches with backing from a topline VC syndicate including Forbion, Novo Holdings, NEA and RA Capital Management, alongside a scientific collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Cardiometabolic and renal diseases represent some of medicine’s largest unmet needs. More than one billion people1 live with obesity, which is associated with more than 200 health complications2. Although incretin-based therapies have transformed care, substantial opportunities remain for treatments with novel mechanisms of action. CaMaRa is using human genetics to identify novel, causally validated disease targets together with a proprietary AI driven Target Assessment Framework to prioritize and derisk those targets. It then in-licenses clinic-ready, potentially best-in-class assets that act on those targets, accelerating the time to clinical proof-of-concept in these high-value indications. The business model has been validated by CaMaRa founders who have previously built successful companies in neuroscience and cardiometabolic diseases, utilizing a similar strategy.
John Montana, Executive Chairman of CaMaRa, said, “The syndicate of this seed financing is comprised of world leading investors who believe in CaMaRa’s mission to identify genetically anchored targets of clinical relevance that will transform the treatment of cardiometabolic and renal diseases of high unmet need. This capital enables us to quickly develop our proprietary platform and identify high-quality assets that we will rapidly move towards clinical proof of concept.”
CaMaRa’s scientific strategy is supported by its collaboration with the Broad Institute and Melina Claussnitzer, PhD, a CaMaRa co-founder and Director of the Broad Diabetes Initiative, and faculty at Harvard Medical School. Claussnitzer said, “This collaboration helps CaMaRa move beyond statistical links between genetic variants and disease to understand and experimentally confirm the underlying biology. Variant-to-Function science identifies which genetic change drives disease, which gene and cell type it affects, and whether its activity increases or decreases disease risk. These insights help us determine precisely where and how a potential medicine should act, accelerating the development of new treatments.”
About CaMaRa
CaMaRa is a biotechnology company developing new medicines for cardiometabolic conditions, including obesity, diabetes and kidney disease. In collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, CaMaRa studies how disease-linked genetic differences affect specific genes, cells and disease specific tissues. The company combines these insights with its proprietary AI-driven Target Assessment Framework to select the most promising drug targets. CaMaRa then acquires advanced drug candidates designed to act on those targets, providing a faster route to clinical evaluation and proof of concept. For more information, visit CaMaRa on LinkedIn.
About Forbion
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep roots in Europe and offices in Naarden, the Netherlands, Munich, Germany, and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies covering all stages of (bio)pharmaceutical drug development. In addition to its human health focus, Forbion also invests in planetary health solutions through its BioEconomy strategy. The firm’s team of over 30 investment professionals has a strong track record, with more than 130 investments across 10 funds, resulting in numerous approved therapies and successful exits. Forbion is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and operates a joint venture with BGV for seed and early-stage investments in the Benelux and Germany regions.
About NEA
New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. Founded in 1977, NEA has more than $35 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2025, and invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of investing includes more than 285 portfolio company public listings and more than 510 mergers and acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.nea.com.
About Novo Holdings
Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk and Novonesis and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seed, Venture, Growth, Planetary Health Investments and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2025, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 93 billion.
About RA Capital
Founded in 2004, RA Capital Management is a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in public and private healthcare, life sciences, and planetary health companies. RA Capital creates and funds innovative companies, from private seed rounds to public follow-on financings, allowing management teams to drive value creation from inception through commercialization and beyond. RA Capital's knowledge engine is guided by TechAtlas, its science-first internal research division. Raven, RA Capital's healthcare incubator, offers entrepreneurs and innovators a comprehensive business-building platform for biomedical innovation. RA Capital has over 250 employees and $16 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2026. Learn more at www.racap.com
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1 Prevalence of over 1 billion people (including both adults, adolescence and children):
The Lancet, 403(10431), 1027–1050. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02750-2 same data also used by WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/01-03-2024-one-in-eight-people-are-now-living-with-obesity
2 >200 complications: Yuen, M. M. A. (2023). Health complications of obesity: 224 obesity-associated comorbidities from a mechanistic perspective. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, 52(2), 363–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gtc.2023.03.006
CONTACT: Contact: Laura Asbjornsen Email: laura.asbjornsen@forbion.com
