- €2.9 million ($3.26M) awarded to SeaBeLife for its SeaBeLIVER project under France 2030’s i-Demo scheme, run by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government
- SeaBeLIVER is a €6.47 million ($7.27M) project to accelerate preclinical and clinical development of SBL01, a first-in-class drug candidate for acute liver injury
- Phase I trial in healthy volunteers and Phase Ib trial in hospitalized patients with acute liver damage planned to obtain initial human biological activity data
Roscoff, France, October 20, 2026 – SeaBeLife, a biotechnology company developing innovative drug candidates targeting regulated cell death pathways, today announces it has received funding worth €2.9 million ($3.26M) for its SeaBeLIVER project under the France 2030 investment program, run by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government, to develop its SBL01 drug candidate for acute liver damage. The award supports SeaBeLife’s €6.47 million ($7.27M) SeaBeLIVER project, which received the grant via the i-Demo scheme.
Led by SeaBeLife, the project will cover the main steps required to advance SBL01 into clinical development, from its manufacturing development and regulatory preclinical studies to the application for clinical trial authorization. A Phase I trial will be conducted in healthy volunteers, followed by a Phase Ib trial in hospitalized patients with acute liver damage (acute liver injury, acute liver failure or acute-on-chronic liver failure). Under this program, SeaBeLife plans to obtain initial data on the biological activity of SBL01 in humans.
The types of acute liver damage covered by the SeaBeLIVER program represent a major medical need. Despite progress in treatment, the transplant-free survival rate at 21 days was only 56.2% in a prospective cohort of patients with acute liver failure. In acute-on-chronic liver failure, 28-day mortality rates can be as high as 76% in the most severe forms.[1] [2]
“This i-Demo funding represents a crucial milestone for SeaBeLife. It gives us the means to bring our first-in-class drug candidate, SBL01, toward generating its first clinical data,” said Morgane Rousselot, CEO and co-founder of SeaBeLife. “This project will also represent a major step toward the clinical validation of our dual necroptosis and ferroptosis inhibition approach, potentially opening new therapeutic opportunities for other acute diseases affecting vital organs.”
SBL01 has a unique approach, simultaneously targeting two regulated cell death mechanisms, necroptosis and ferroptosis. Recent scientific findings highlight the interplay between necroptosis and ferroptosis in pathological cell death and support the therapeutic potential of simultaneously targeting these two pathways across several acute diseases. SeaBeLife is currently the only company targeting this dual inhibition.
SBL01 has already proven effective in several preclinical models, with encouraging preliminary safety data. Additionally, in 2024, SBL01 was granted orphan drug designation in the European Union for the prevention of acute liver failure.
Between 2026 and 2028, the SeaBeLIVER project is expected to support employment and economic activity in France through its network of CROs and CDMOs.
“We are delighted to support the implementation of the SeaBeLIVER project by SeaBeLife, a biotech company from Brittany with expertise in therapeutic development. This clinical program constitutes a major scientific advance in the treatment of acute liver failure, a group of diseases where there is high medical need,” explained Virginie Fontaine, health sector innovation manager at Bpifrance. “SeaBeLife is taking a unique and innovative mechanistic approach and working with France-based partners and service providers with complementary expertise on the project, for the preclinical and clinical development, and manufacture, of its SBL01 drug candidate. Our support is part and parcel of France 2030’s aim to help develop health innovations in France with strong industrial and international potential.”
About France 2030
The France 2030 investment plan:
- Reflects a dual ambition: to sustainably transform key sectors of the economy (such as energy, automotive, aeronautics and space) through technological innovation, and to position France not just as a participant, but as a leader in the world of tomorrow. From fundamental research and the emergence of an idea to the production of a new product or service, France 2030 supports the entire innovation life cycle through to industrialization.
- Is unprecedented in scale: €54 billion will be invested to ensure French companies, universities and research organizations fully succeed in their transitions within these strategic sectors. The challenge: to enable them to respond competitively to the ecological and attractiveness challenges of the world to come, and to foster the emergence of future leaders in French fields of excellence. France 2030 is defined by two cross-cutting objectives: allocating 50% of its spending to the decarbonization of the economy and 50% to emerging innovative players, while adhering to the systematic exclusion of projects that would be harmful to the environment (under the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle).
- Will be implemented collectively: conceived and deployed in consultation with economic, academic, local and European stakeholders to determine its strategic directions and flagship actions. Project leaders are invited to submit their proposals through open, rigorous and selective procedures to benefit from State support.
- Is led by France’s General Secretariat for Investment on behalf of the Prime Minister and implemented by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), the French National Research Agency (ANR), Bpifrance (a French public investment bank) and the Deposits and Consignments Fund (CDC).
More information available at: www.gouvernement.fr/secretariat-general-pour-l-investissement-sgpi
About Bpifrance
Bpifrance finances companies – at every stage of their development – through loans, guarantees and equity. Bpifrance supports them in their innovation projects and internationally. Bpifrance also now supports their export activities through a wide range of products. Advisory services, university programs, networking and acceleration programs for startups, SMEs and mid-cap companies are also part of the offer provided to entrepreneurs. Through Bpifrance and its 50 regional offices, entrepreneurs benefit from a single, local and effective point of contact to help them meet their challenges. For more information, please visit: https://bpifrance.com/ – https://presse.bpifrance.fr
Follow us on X: @Bpifrance – @BpifrancePresse
About SeaBeLife
Founded in 2019 in Roscoff, France, SeaBeLife uses its innovative technology platform to develop small molecules that simultaneously target two different regulated cell death pathways – necroptosis and ferroptosis. The result of more than ten years of research, the company’s platform now covers more than 150 biologically active molecules and is backed by eight patent families. SeaBeLife is developing two proprietary programs: SBL01 for acute liver diseases and SBL03 for degenerative diseases of the retina.
Since inception, SeaBeLife has raised close to €12 million in capital and public financing, won the national i-Nov Competition 2024 and enjoyed the support of major players such as Bpifrance, SATT Ouest Valorisation, Biotech Santé Bretagne and the Région Bretagne regional authority.
SeaBeLife is led by CEO and co-founder Morgane Rousselot, who holds a PhD in biochemistry from Sorbonne University/French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS)/Roscoff Marine Station. The company is based on the research work of Stéphane Bach, PhD (CNRS), Marie-Thérèse Dimanche-Boitrel (Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health – IRSET) and Claire Delehouzé, PhD, scientific director and partner.
Thanks to its disruptive technology, experienced team and the support of its leading institutional and academic partners, SeaBeLife plans to contribute to the development of new therapies for serious, rare and chronic conditions.
Want to amplify your startup’s story? EU Startup News is your launchpad to reach startup founders, investors, and C-level execs across Europe. Discover our tailored promotional strategies such as Sponsored Articles and Partnerships. Click here to learn more or contact us directly at pitch@eustartup.news. Join us, and let’s make your startup the talk of Europe!
