Padakonn Pharma has been awarded a €1.5 million grant by the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency following a positive evaluation of the company’s previous achievements and future plans. The funding will support an upcoming Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5) research project focused on fibrosis in severe chronic kidney disease.
The study will test monoclonal antibodies targeting marinobufagenin, a cardiotonic steroid implicated in fibrosis-related pathways. Its objective is to assess whether this approach can slow fibrosis progression in severe cases of chronic kidney disease.
In September 2025, Padakonn Pharma also filed a patent application in Estonia for four antibody clones developed by the company. The patent application and the TRL5 project are important steps in advancing Padakonn Pharma’s antibody platform toward further development.
Padakonn Pharma is grateful for the additional support of the European Renal Association (ERA) and the Health Founders Estonia accelerator programme (HFE).
Chronic kidney disease is a major healthcare challenge and is expected to become the fifth leading cause of years of life lost by 2040. Padakonn Pharma’s goal is to significantly slow CKD progression, improve patients’ condition, and extend survival until kidney transplantation becomes feasible.
