SHARJAH, 10th November, 2026 (WAM) — CE-Ventures, the Sharjah-based corporate venture capital platform of Crescent Enterprises, announced its investment in UK-based Oyster Therapeutics, previously known as Kesmalea Therapeutics, as part of the company’s $60 million Series A financing.
Oyster is a pharmaceutical company developing next-generation targeted protein degraders, with an initial focus on tau-driven neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
The financing will support Oyster’s next stage of development and advance its lead programme, an oral, brain-penetrant degrader targeting the protein tau, towards clinical development.
Abnormal tau accumulation is a defining feature of a group of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Rob Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Oyster Therapeutics, said, “We are delighted to welcome CE-Ventures as an investor and to have their support as we enter this next phase of growth. This financing enables us to accelerate our lead tau degrader towards the clinic while advancing our broader SELFTAC platform, which we believe has the potential to unlock a new generation of medicines for diseases of the central nervous system. We look forward to working with CE-Ventures and our wider investor syndicate as we build a leading company in targeted protein degradation.”
Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO and Head of Investments at Crescent Enterprises, said, “CE-Ventures continues to expand its life sciences portfolio by backing differentiated technologies with the potential to address areas of significant unmet medical need. Oyster Therapeutics combines a proprietary platform with a clear therapeutic focus in neurodegenerative disease, where new approaches capable of addressing underlying disease biology are urgently needed.”
Dr. Damir Illich, VP, Life Sciences at CE-Ventures, added, “Oyster’s SELFTAC® platform addresses a key challenge in targeted protein degradation by aiming to combine the power of bifunctional degraders with properties that support brain penetration and oral delivery. Its lead tau programme gives the company a differentiated approach in neurodegenerative disease, supported by strong scientific expertise and a path towards clinical development.”
CE-Ventures’ life sciences portfolio spans drug discovery, genetic medicine and targeted therapeutics. Oyster Therapeutics adds neuroscience and targeted protein degradation to that mix, further broadening the therapeutic technologies represented across the portfolio.
Source: Emirates News Agency