Utopia Therapeutics secures $1.5 million seed funding from whale tank to advance obesity vaccine development
Investment will accelerate preclinical development of UT009 and support early-stage trials for novel immunotherapeutic targeting obesity
Utopia Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing vaccines for chronic metabolic conditions, announced a $1.5 million seed funding round led by Whale Tank, an early-stage venture capital firm specialising in life science innovation. The announcement was made at the BIO International Convention 2025.
The proceeds from this investment will be used to advance Utopia’s lead candidate, UT009, through preclinical development. UT009 is designed to target lipid-associated antigens, aiming to modulate the immune system to reduce fat accumulation and support metabolic health. The funds will support regulatory toxicology studies, IND-enabling activities, and the initiation of Phase I human clinical trials.
As part of the partnership, Whale Tank’s Biocatalyst Fund has committed over $1.5 million in cumulative investment towards both therapeutic and consumer health programmes in Utopia’s pipeline. The collaboration includes full development funding for UT009, which is being developed as a preventive vaccine for obesity and fatty liver disease. In addition, the partnership will support the global scale-up and commercialisation of Utopia’s UT018-based regenerative product line, which comprises GRAS-qualified, non-pharmaceutical applications.
Commenting on the investment, Dr Uday Saxena and Dr Gopi Kadiyala, co-founders of Utopia Therapeutics, said, “We are thrilled to have Whale Tank as a strategic partner in our journey to redefine obesity treatment. Obesity is a global epidemic with limited long-term therapeutic options. UT009 represents a paradigm shift by differentiating it from current obesity drugs by address the root causes of weight gain. This investment enables us to move swiftly toward clinical translation.”
The announcement took place in the presence of Dr Jitendra Kumar, Managing Director of BIRAC; Narayanan Suresh, Chief Operating Officer at ABLE; Dr Balasubramanya S, General Manager at ABLE; and senior members of the Indian biotech sector.
Speaking at the event, Dr Jitendra Kumar stated, “This partnership reflects the strength of India’s translational biotech ecosystem. A vaccine for metabolic disorders and a regenerative product pipeline coming out of India and entering global markets demonstrates the scientific depth and entrepreneurial maturity that BIRAC has consistently fostered. It’s especially heartening to witness this in my presence. I’m happy to see that some of the companies now being funded by Whale Tank were previously supported by BIRAC. This is a great enabling system — and we’ve always envisioned such investor-driven support for Indian deep-tech science.”
Dr Markandeya Gorantla, Managing Partner at Whale Tank, added, “Utopia’s approach is bold, scientifically rigorous, and offers enormous potential to disrupt the obesity market. We are excited to support their mission of bringing Immunotherapeutics to the forefront of chronic disease management.”