(PLEASE NO SERVICES) Lahjavida (La-Ya-Vida) is pioneering a novel class of small-molecule Dye Drug Conjugates (DDCs) designed to improve cancer treatment by delivering potent cytotoxic agents directly to tumors while sparing healthy tissue. The platform uses heptamethine carbocyanine (HCC) near infrared dyes that selectively accumulate in cancer cells via OATP transporters. DDCs remain non-toxic in circulation and activate only once internalized, enabling the use of highly effective but otherwise systemically toxic payloads. The small-molecule HCC scaffold supports a wide range of conjugated payloads and offers major advantages over antibody-based ADCs, including lower CMC cost, no cold-chain requirements, and faster scale-up and IND timelines. This versatile, cost-efficient platform has broad applicability across solid tumors and represents a next-generation approach to targeted oncology therapeutics. We are seeking Seed funding to continue our ongoing preclinical work.