VECT-HORUS
VECT-HORUS is a French biotechnology company developing the VECTrans® peptide and single-domain antibody platform for targeted delivery of therapeutics and imaging agents across the blood-brain barrier, licensing the technology to pharmaceutical partners such as Novo Nordisk and Ionis while co-developing LDLR-targeted theranostic agents with RadioMedix for glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersMarseille, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What VECT-HORUS does
VECT-HORUS S.A.S. is a French privately-held biotechnology company founded in 2005 as a spin-off of CNRS and Aix-Marseille University's Institute for NeuroPhysiopathology. The company develops and commercializes its proprietary VECTrans® technology platform, which consists of peptide-based vectors and single-domain antibodies (VHHs) that exploit receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) to deliver therapeutic and imaging agents across biological barriers, with a primary focus on the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Core technology components target endogenous cell-surface receptors including the LDL receptor (LDLR) and transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), with vectors available in peptide formats under 1kDa and sdAb formats under 15kDa, conjugateable to small molecules, siRNAs, ASOs, mRNAs, proteins, antibodies, and lipid nanoparticles.
Vect-Horus operates a mixed B2B business model combining internal pipeline development with technology licensing to pharmaceutical and biotech partners. Revenue is generated through upfront payments, development and regulatory milestones, tiered royalties on licensed product sales, research collaboration fees, and cost-sharing arrangements on co-development programs. The company's partnership portfolio includes global exclusive licensing agreements with Novo Nordisk (October 2023, up to $327 million in milestones across 3 programs) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (January 2024, double-digit million upfront plus milestones), plus co-development with RadioMedix on LDLR-targeted theranostic agents (68Ga-RMX-VH, 212Pb-RMX-VH-PKM, 203Pb-RMX-VH-PIB) for glioblastoma multiforme and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, with the lead asset currently in early Phase 1 clinical trials following FDA exploratory IND clearance in 2021.
The company is headquartered in Marseille, France, on the La Timone medical campus, employs 38 people (approximately 30 in R&D), and has raised over €22 million in equity funding since inception supplemented by €8 million+ in public research grants and the REACT-EU recovery grant. Intellectual property is jointly owned with CNRS and Aix-Marseille University under long-standing academic-industry collaboration structures (Laboratoire Commun de Recherche), spanning 6+ patent families covering vector chemistry, receptor targeting, and specific vectorized therapeutic candidates.
VECT-HORUS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VECT-HORUS
- Legal name
- VECT-HORUS S.A.S.
- Website
- https://vect-horus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- VECT-HORUS is a French biotechnology company developing the VECTrans® peptide and single-domain antibody platform for targeted delivery of therapeutics and imaging agents across the blood-brain barrier, licensing the technology to pharmaceutical partners such as Novo Nordisk and Ionis while co-developing LDLR-targeted theranostic agents with RadioMedix for glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VECT-HORUS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biotechnology Drug Delivery
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Therapeutic Peptides & Protein/Peptide Biologics (HLAAAAAH), Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB), Engineered Protein Therapeutics (de novo/AI-designed proteins, novel scaffolds) (HLAAAAAJ)
Keywords
Where VECT-HORUS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Marseille
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
VECT-HORUS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Licensing and milestone payments: Upfront payments, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties on product sales from technology licensing agreements. Example: Novo Nordisk agreement includes upfront payment plus up to $327 million in milestones across 3 programs plus tiered royalties.
- Research collaboration fees: Research fees from collaboration agreements for feasibility studies and co-development programs. Partners receive technology access for specific applications while Vect-Horus conducts R&D activities.
- Co-development cost sharing: Cost-sharing arrangements with co-development partners (e.g., RadioMedix) where both parties share development costs until specified clinical phases, with one party leading commercialization.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
VECT-HORUS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VECT-HORUS develops proprietary molecular vectors (peptides and single-domain antibodies) that enable targeted delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents across biological barriers, particularly the blood-brain barrier, via receptor-mediated transcytosis (VECTrans® platform). The company operates a hybrid business model: internally co-developing a pipeline of theranostic radiopharmaceuticals (RMX-VH series) with partners such as RadioMedix while licensing the VECTrans® platform to global pharmaceutical partners (Novo Nordisk, Ionis, Astellas, Janssen) for CNS and RNA-targeted therapeutics development.
Product overview
VECT-HORUS operates a mixed business model combining its proprietary VECTrans® technology platform with an internal pipeline of products. The VECTrans® platform provides molecular vectors (peptides and single-domain antibodies) that enable targeted delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents across biological barriers, particularly the blood-brain barrier. The company co-develops theragnostic agents with partners like RadioMedix, including RMX-VH-GBM for glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. VECT-HORUS licenses its technology to pharmaceutical partners (Novo Nordisk, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, OliX) for CNS and RNA-targeted therapeutics development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- VECTrans®: Proprietary technology platform for targeted drug delivery across biological barriers including the blood-brain barrier
Products and services
- VECTrans® Technology Platform A proprietary drug delivery platform that uses molecular vectors (peptides targeting LDLR/TfR1 and single-domain antibodies) to ferry therapeutic and imaging payloads across biological barriers, especially the blood-brain barrier. Licensed to pharmaceutical and biotech partners for CNS, oncology, and nucleic-acid-based therapeutic programs.
- 68Ga-RMX-VH A Gallium-68 radiolabeled diagnostic agent for PET imaging of glioblastoma multiforme, targeting the Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR). Co-developed with RadioMedix and advanced into exploratory IND clinical studies.
- 212Pb-RMX-VH-PKM A second-generation LDLR-targeting radioconjugate for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using lead-212 targeted alpha therapy, co-developed with RadioMedix.
- RMX-VH-GBM A theranostic agent targeting the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR) for the diagnosis and radiotherapy of glioblastoma multiforme and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, co-developed with RadioMedix and currently in early Phase 1 clinical trials.
- 203Pb-RMX-VH-PIB A Lead-203 labeled diagnostic agent for PET imaging of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), targeting LDLR. Co-developed with RadioMedix and advanced into exploratory IND studies.
- VH-N439
Quantifiable outcome
- Vector-payload conjugates show LDLR-mediated uptake in cancer cells including GBM and PDAC with significant tumor accumulation in xenograft models
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use VECT-HORUS
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
VECT-HORUS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
VECT-HORUS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, core and minor.
- OliX PharmaceuticalssecondaryMaterial Transfer and Evaluation Agreement focused on siRNA delivery for CNS disorders. Collaboration leverages Vect-Horus BBB technology with OliX RNAi therapeutics expertise.
- Secarna PharmaceuticalssecondaryStrategic research collaboration to develop RNA-targeted therapeutics capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier for CNS diseases.
- CERIMEDsecondaryCollaboration to support preclinical development of theragnostic agents. CERIMED provides medical imaging services (PET, SPECT) and preclinical/clinical imaging platform.
- Astellas PharmasecondaryResearch Collaboration and Option Agreement using VECTrans technology to transport Astellas antibodies to the brain for CNS disease treatment.
- RadioMedixcoreCo-development and licensing agreement for theranostic agent targeting LDLR for diagnostic and radiotherapy of glioblastoma multiforme and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Both parties share costs until Phase 1. RadioMedix leads clinical development and future commercialization.
- Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson)secondaryResearch collaboration to transport Janssen monoclonal antibodies to the brain for neurodegenerative disease treatment using VECTrans technology. Janssen leads further preclinical and clinical development.
- ServiersecondaryScientific collaboration to develop new molecules in the field of CNS diseases using Vect-Horus receptor targeting technology.
- SanofisecondaryScientific collaboration in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Sanofi receives access to VECTrans technology for targeted brain delivery of therapeutic antibodies.
- Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA)minorScientific collaboration to develop new molecules for brain disease treatment using AAA's molecular nuclear medicine expertise combined with Vect-Horus targeting technology.
- CNRScoreAcademic partner and co-owner of patent families. Vect-Horus is spin-off of CNRS/Aix-Marseille University. Long-term collaboration through Institut for NeuroPhysiopathology (INP).
- Aix-Marseille UniversitycoreAcademic founding partner. Vect-Horus established as spin-off from NICN UMR7259, now INP UMR7051. Joint patent ownership and Laboratoires Commun de Recherche (LCR) arrangement.
- INSERMcoreAcademic partner for research collaborations. Contributed to VECtoBrain and VEC2Brain projects alongside CNRS and CEA.
- CEAcoreAcademic research partner. Contributed to VEC2Brain project involving CEA SIMOPRO laboratory along with CNRS and INSERM.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
VECT-HORUS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Denali Therapeutics: Denali Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharma developing engineered protein-based therapeutics designed to cross the blood-brain barrier using TfR receptor-mediated transport (their OTV platform). Highly comparable to VECT-HORUS's VECTrans platform targeting the same receptors (TfR1, LDLR) for CNS delivery of biologics.
- AngioChem: AngioChem develops peptide-based vectors (Angiopep) that cross the BBB via LRP-1 receptor-mediated transcytosis, very similar mechanism to VECT-HORUS's VECTrans. Direct competitor in the BBB-crossing peptide vector space with partnerships across pharma for CNS drug delivery.
- ArmaGen (now Ensoma): ArmaGen (legacy entity) developed a BBB-penetrating IgG fusion protein platform using transferrin receptor-targeting antibodies to deliver enzymes and other biologics to the brain. Direct competitor in BBB delivery platform space with overlapping mechanism (TfR) and therapeutic area focus.
- CarThera: CarThera is a French neurotech company developing SonoCloud, an implantable ultrasound device to transiently open the blood-brain barrier for enhanced drug delivery to the brain. Complementary approach to VECT-HORUS for solving the BBB delivery problem in CNS therapeutics, with similar French biotech profile.
Broad incumbents
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Ionis is the leading antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics company and is an existing VECT-HORUS licensing partner. While not a direct peer (Ionis is a much larger incumbent RNA therapeutics developer), the relationship illustrates the comparable business model of using delivery innovations to expand CNS indications.
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Alnylam is the global leader in siRNA therapeutics with multiple approved products. Their work on extra-hepatic siRNA delivery (including CNS via TfR conjugates in their GalNAc and other conjugates) overlaps with VECT-HORUS's siRNA delivery mission. Larger incumbent in the same therapeutic modality (RNA) with overlapping delivery challenges.
- Eli Lilly (Lilly Neuroscience): Eli Lilly is a major incumbent in CNS therapeutics with large Alzheimer's (Kisunla/donanemab), migraine, and pain franchises. They have publicly pursued BBB-crossing technologies and represent a potential partner/acquirer tier for VECT-HORUS's BBB delivery platform.
Emerging players
- BioArctic: Swedish biotech developing antibody-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) with focus on brain-penetrating antibodies. Comparable in CNS delivery focus and Swedish/European biotech profile, though uses different delivery approach (passive/lecanemab-style) than VECT-HORUS's active receptor-mediated transport.
- Wave Life Sciences: Wave Life Sciences is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company developing RNA base-editing and siRNA therapeutics with CNS programs (Huntington's, ALS). Comparable in CNS RNA-targeted therapeutic focus and need for efficient CNS delivery, overlapping with VECT-HORUS's core capability area.
- Voyager Therapeutics: Voyager Therapeutics develops AAV-based gene therapies for CNS diseases with a focus on engineered capsids for improved brain delivery. Comparable CNS delivery platform approach (genetic payload delivery to brain) though different modality (viral vs. peptide/antibody vectors).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VECT-HORUS social profiles
Digital presenceVECT-HORUS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VECT-HORUS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
VECT-HORUS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VECT-HORUS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VECT-HORUS
What does VECT-HORUS do?
VECT-HORUS develops proprietary molecular vectors (peptides and single-domain antibodies) that enable targeted delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents across biological barriers, particularly the blood-brain barrier, via receptor-mediated transcytosis (VECTrans® platform). The company operates a hybrid business model: internally co-developing a pipeline of theranostic radiopharmaceuticals (RMX-VH series) with partners such as RadioMedix while licensing the VECTrans® platform to global pharmaceutical partners (Novo Nordisk, Ionis, Astellas, Janssen) for CNS and RNA-targeted therapeutics development.
Is VECT-HORUS a public or private company?
VECT-HORUS is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was VECT-HORUS founded?
VECT-HORUS was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is VECT-HORUS based?
VECT-HORUS is headquartered in Marseille, France, in the Europe region.
How does VECT-HORUS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Licensing and milestone payments are the primary driver. The others are research collaboration fees and co-development cost sharing.
Who are VECT-HORUS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Denali Therapeutics, AngioChem, ArmaGen (now Ensoma) and CarThera. Broad incumbents are Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly (Lilly Neuroscience). Emerging players are BioArctic, Wave Life Sciences and Voyager Therapeutics.
Does VECT-HORUS have an API?
No public API is recorded for VECT-HORUS.
What industry is VECT-HORUS in?
VECT-HORUS's product category is Biotechnology Drug Delivery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAC, Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization), with a secondary code of HLAAAAAH, Therapeutic Peptides & Protein/Peptide Biologics. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2836.