Ephla Bio
1 known investors
London-founded biotech developing targeted B-cell therapeutics for B-cell pathologies including lymphomas.
Also known as Ephla
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Ephla Bio is a biotechnology company developing targeted therapeutics for B-cell pathologies. The company was founded in 2024 and is headquartered in London. Its stated focus is on treatments directed at B-cell disease biology, with the founding team describing an approach that combines immunology research with computational and AI-guided methods such as antibody design and drug discovery.
The company was founded by Vijay Pandurangan, who describes himself as founder of Ephla Bio and previously worked as a software engineer and manager at Google (2002-2009), founded Mitro (exited to Twitter), led Twitter's New York engineering office, served as entrepreneur in residence at Benchmark Capital, and consulted with cancer immunotherapy company PACT Pharma; he also teaches BIODS 253 (Software Engineering for Scientists) at Stanford University as an adjunct professor and angel invests in technology startups. Co-founder Dr. Laabiah Wasim is an immunologist who completed a PhD in immunology at University College London and the Francis Crick Institute (2018-2023) in Pavel Tolar's Immune Receptor Activation Laboratory, studying B-cell receptor signalling in B-cell lymphomas, with earlier research at the University of Toronto's Department of Immunology; she is based in Canada.
Founding story
The company was founded by Vijay Pandurangan, a software engineer and investor whose consulting work with cancer immunotherapy company PACT Pharma directed his interest toward applying software, machine learning and computational techniques to therapeutics, particularly for blood cancers. Co-founder Dr. Laabiah Wasim joined from academic immunology, translating PhD research on B-cell receptor signalling in lymphomas conducted at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL into therapeutic development.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
An early-stage, venture-backed therapeutics company; it is a portfolio company of Hoxton Ventures, held in the Hoxton IV fund, with Hussein Kanji listed as the associated Hoxton partner.
Technology
The company's work is described as targeted B-cell therapeutics grounded in immunological research and computational biology, with the founding team citing antibody engineering, AI/ML-based drug discovery, B-cell receptor signalling expertise, super-resolution microscopy, flow cytometry, in vitro assays, in vivo models and target validation as relevant capabilities. The scientific basis draws on co-founder research into B-cell receptor signalling in B-cell lymphomas, including findings that IgG class-switching disrupts lymphoma proliferation via PI3K signalling and MYC regulation, published in eLife, mAbs and bioRxiv.
Go-to-market
The company's stated therapeutic focus is B-cell pathologies, including B-cell lymphomas and blood cancers.
Geography
Headquartered in London, United Kingdom; co-founder Laabiah Wasim is based in Canada.
History
Ephla Bio was founded in 2024 in London. Hoxton Ventures records an investment in the company in 2025 through its Hoxton IV fund. As of the sources, both founders describe the company as their current, active venture.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 1
launches, deals, and filingsHoxton Ventures lists Ephla Bio as a portfolio company, invested in 2025 via its Hoxton IV fund, with Hussein Kanji as the associated partner. No amount disclosed.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Ephla Bio - Hoxton Ventureshoxtonventures.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Ephla Bio do?
- London-founded biotech developing targeted B-cell therapeutics for B-cell pathologies including lymphomas.
- Who are Ephla Bio's investors?
- Ephla Bio's investors include Hoxton Ventures.