Rapamycin raises $2.5M to advance lead drug for treating cancer in pets

San Antonio, TX-based Rapamycin Holdings was founded in 2012 based on discoveries made at the University of Texas Health Science Center about the life-extending properties of the drug for which the company was named. Now the company has raised $2.5 million in a Series A funding round to advance its lead compound, a modified version of rapamycin (sirolimus), a drug that's on the market to prevent organ rejection in kidney-transplant patients but that has long been studied for its potential life-extending properties. Rapamycin Holdings CEO Randy Goldsmith told the San Antonio Business Journal the company will use the new funding to pursue regulatory approval for its lead compound to address significant diseases in dogs and cats, including cancer. The startup has brought in a total of $5 million so far, mostly from angel investors, and plans to raise a Series B round later this year or early next year, Goldsmith says. Article