Cisalpine translation

In Italy, a scarcity of local venture capital and biotechs has left academic researchers with few opportunities to commercialize their discoveries. A new drug discovery center at the Italian Institute of Technology hopes to change that by stepping into the preclinical development space and occupying a role in the value chain traditionally held by venture-backed startups.

Only two Italian biotechs-autoimmune, inflammation and dermatology company Creabilis Therapeutics S.p.A. and cancer company EOS S.p.A.-have disclosed seed or series A rounds since 2008...