CTI Life Sciences Fund Launches Oligon Therapeutics to Pioneer a New Class of Precision siRNA Therapeutics

Total investments of $14 million by CTI, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Investissement Québec

MONTRÉAL, Sept. 23, 2025 /CNW/ - CTI Life Sciences Fund (CTI) has launched Oligon Therapeutics (OligonTx), a new biotechnology company pioneering RNA-based multi-targeting drugs as novel treatments for oncology, immunology, and other diseases. Oligon's proprietary SeekR™ technology platform represents the next generation of self-delivering therapeutic siRNA conjugates.  

CTI, along with co-investors the Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Investissement Québec (IQ), has initially committed US $14 million to OligonTx to launch operations in Montreal, Quebec, and to develop a pipeline of SeekR™ therapeutics. The current pipeline includes two wholly owned therapeutic programs that reprogram specific immune cell subtypes.

OligonTx also has a growing pipeline of partnered therapeutic programs with biopharma and academic collaborators, primarily targeting different types of cancer cells. OligonTx will also partner with additional pharma industry collaborators to further expand into additional new indications.

"We have seen how siRNA conjugate drugs developed by companies like Alnylam have had tremendous clinical and commercial success, but their clinical impact has been limited to liver targets," said Youssef Bennani, Ph.D., Managing Partner at CTI. "Oligon's platform represents a potential game-changer in the field. By expanding delivery to many new cell types beyond the liver, OligonTx can unleash the full therapeutic potential of RNAi in many other therapeutic areas, beginning with immunology and oncology. We are excited to empower OligonTx to drive these novel drugs into the clinic and improve outcomes for countless patients."

"The creation of OligonTx demonstrates the Fonds de solidarité FTQ's commitment to investing strategically in the early stages of development of innovative companies. Working closely with our partners such as CTI Life Sciences Fund, we help attract cutting-edge technologies and expertise to Québec, reinforcing our position as a catalyst for growth in the life sciences sector. These investments not only fuel innovation, they support concrete therapeutic advances that have the potential to transform the lives of many patients," adds Maxime Pesant, Vice-President, Private Equity and Impact Investing, Life Sciences, Fonds de solidarité FTQ.

"For Québec to become a major hub of the life-sciences and biopharmaceutical industries, we have to start by supporting new players like OligonTx," noted Bicha Ngo, President and CEO of Investissement Québec. "Within the financial ecosystem, Investissement Québec's role is to spur economic development by providing support and financing tailored to the realities of small and medium-sized businesses and by fostering innovation in Québec."

"The SeekR™ platform has unlimited potential to address many unmet clinical needs, so our first challenge was figuring out how and where to start." said Spyro Mousses, Ph.D., CEO and Founder of Oligon Therapeutics. "Our venture capital partners, including CTI, IQ, and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ gave OligonTx access to multiple industry leaders, who all helped us elevate our strategy by first focusing on generating data to demonstrate the full potential of the platform and to work towards bringing the first program into the clinic. Our venture partners also created an opportunity to focus our operations in Quebec Canada, where OligonTx can benefit from and be a part of a world-class AI research and RNA sciences ecosystem."

In addition to Board Chair Dr. Youssef Bennani and CEO Dr. Spyro Mousses, Oligon's leadership team includes David Bouffard, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer; David Azorsa, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer; and Jeff Kiefer, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer. OligonTx also benefits from guidance from a board of directors that includes Youssef Lemgendez (Fonds de solidarité FTQ) and Louis-Etienne Fortier (IQ).

To learn more about Oligon Therapeutics, visit www.oligon.com.

About CTI Life Sciences Fund

CTI Life Sciences Fund (CTI) is a leading Canadian venture capital firm investing in the biotechnology sector. Established in 2006, CTI has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to select world-class companies and generate industry-leading returns. In Canada, the United States, and Europe, CTI makes venture capital investments in innovative biotech companies with scientific and technological differentiation that can translate into novel therapies with blockbuster revenue potential. For more information, visit www.ctisciences.com.

About the Fonds de solidarité FTQ

The Fonds de solidarité FTQ is a source of pride in Québec, fulfilling its mission through a unique business model created more than 40 years ago. Since then, the Fonds has rallied Québec into action thanks to the retirement savings of over 808,000 shareholders.

With net assets of $21.9 billion as at May 31, 2025, the Fonds supports directly and indirectly thousands of companies through venture and development capital investments based on the belief that the impact of its investments is created as much by financial as societal returns. For more information, visit fondsftq.com or our company page on LinkedIn.

About Investissement Québec
Investissement Québec's mission is to play an active role in Québec's economic development. The Corporation's services are designed to spur productivity, innovation, market development and the competitiveness of Québec businesses. To that end, Investissement Québec supports them at every stage of their growth with financing and assistance in the areas of business consulting, technological transformation and workforce strategies. In addition, through Investissement Québec International, the Corporation also provides concrete support for businesses' export activities and conducts prospecting activities to attract foreign investment to Québec.

SOURCE Fonds de solidarité FTQ

Media contacts: CTI Life Sciences Fund, Youssef Bennani, Ph.D., Managing Partner, 438 399-0175, [email protected]; Oligon Therapeutics, Spyro Mousses, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, 602 653-5512, [email protected]; Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Cécile Amara, Advisor, Press Relations, 438 467-0965 [email protected]; Investissement Québec, Catherine Salvail, Advisor, media and gouvernemental affairs, 514 863-3744, [email protected]