Reconnect Labs has successfully emerged from stealth mode
Reconnect Labs, a spin-off from the University of Zurich, has successfully emerged from stealth mode and is on track to bring its groundbreaking therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders to patients.
With two candidates in Phase 2 trials and more than CHF 22 million in funding, partly from equity investments and partly from research grants, the company is advancing its AI-driven clinical pipeline and stepping up its commercialization efforts. Through novel, specifically developed pharmacological agents, they are develop-ing therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders such as PTSD, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and addiction. In doing so, they rely on a combination of immediate symptom relief and long-term, disease-modifying effects.
Reconnect Labs was founded as a spin-off from the University of Zurich in 2021. Its development path clearly illustrates how biotech startups finance the various stages of development: In the initial development of new biotech products, the effect is first demonstrated in a non-clinical proof-of-concept study. Eva Maria Håkan-son, Deputy Head of Innovation, says: “Such studies can often be financed through institutional funding, such as the UZH Entrepreneur Fellowships. The idea is to use the data from the proof-of-concept studies to convince investors to support the clinical validation.”
The first clinical validation phase (Phase 1) is primarily about proving the safety of the solution. If this is suc-cessful, investors are attracted for the second round. With Phase 2, the importance increases enormously: this is about efficacy in the first patient groups. Positive signals often trigger real investor interest. Reconnect labs now has two candidates in Phase 2 and will focus in the future on expanding clinical validation and establish-ing strategic collaborations to accelerate global access to its therapies. Before market approval, large-scale studies in the Phase 3 clinical validation phase will confirm the efficacy of the therapies in a larger patient group.