Kiren Baines-Mortimore
Tackling neurodegeneration at its root, using precision Ribonucleic Acid Interference (RNAi) to switch off the master regulators that drive diseases like Parkinson’s.
Project
Valaya Bio
URL
Year founded
2025
Business stage
Pre-Seed
High-growth sectors
Life Sciences
Sector
Biotechnology
Location
South West
Funding
Highly Commended Applicant
The problem and opportunity
Parkinson’s affects millions and has no disease-modifying treatment. Most therapies target single proteins downstream of the disease, easing symptoms rather than halting progression. Patients face relentless decline while health systems absorb rising costs from an ageing population. Existing approaches keep failing because they intervene too far downstream, missing the biology that actually drives the disease.
The solution and innovation
Valaya uses precision RNAi therapeutics to silence upstream master regulators, genes controlling multiple disease pathways at once, rather than chasing single downstream targets. By acting at the network level, we aim to reset the biology driving neurodegeneration. Our lead programme targets Parkinson’s, on a platform designed to extend across CNS and age-related diseases.
Market and ambition
Our lead indication is Parkinson’s, with a pipeline spanning further CNS and ophthalmic diseases. Co-founded through Deep Science Ventures and Parkinson’s UK, Valaya is advancing toward first-in-class precision medicines and scaling its platform across multiple high-need, high-value indications.
Founder perspective
Kiren Baines-Mortimore is a serial founder with over a decade in drug development, previously co-founder and CSO of Extracellular. She built Valaya to bring a fundamentally different approach to diseases conventional drug development has failed, driven by RNAi’s power to reach targets others can’t.
Women in Innovation Award
Highly Commended Applicant of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award 2025/26, receiving tailored business support and access to specialist training and networks. View all winners and highly commended applicants from the Women in Innovation cohort 2025/2026.