Atalanta Therapeutics, a biotechnology company advancing RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of neurological diseases, announced the completion of a $97 million Series B funding to support Phase 1 clinical trials of the company’s investigational RNAi therapies for KCNT1-related epilepsy and Huntington’s disease. The funding was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from other new investors RiverVest Venture Partners, funds managed by abrdn Inc, Novartis Venture Fund, Pictet Alternative Advisors, Mirae Asset Financial Group, and GHR Foundation alongside existing investor F-Prime Capital.
In connection with this funding, the company announced the appointments of Arno de Wilde, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, managing director at EQT Life Sciences; Jason Hafler, Ph.D., managing director of Sanofi Ventures; and Niall O’Donnell, Ph.D., managing director of RiverVest Venture Partners to its Board of Directors.
ATL-201 is Atalanta’s investigational therapy for KCNT1-related epilepsy, an early-onset seizure disorder and encephalopathy driven by gain-of-function variants in the KCNT1 gene. And infants and children with KCNT1-related epilepsy have severe, frequent seizures that are unable to be controlled with anti-seizure medications, and they often experience developmental delays and intellectual disability.
ATL-201 was designed to reduce KCNT1 levels and to normalize neuronal excitability. Preclinical studies have shown that ATL-201 significantly reduces seizures and improves behavior with impressive durability and tolerability.
The company’s second development candidate, ATL-101, is a di-siRNA designed to silence the HTT gene for treating Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by an expansion of the HTT gene, which leads to deterioration in a person’s physical, cognitive, and psychiatric abilities. Preclinical studies have shown that a single dose of ATL-101 produces a potent and substantial reduction in HTT expression, including in deep brain regions, with six months of durability and excellent tolerability.
KEY QUOTES:
“This financing validates the truly transformative potential of Atalanta’s best-in-class di-siRNA platform for delivering oligonucleotide therapies to the central nervous system and the exciting promise of our expansive wholly-owned pipeline. Importantly, this Series B will support a path to the clinic for two programs for serious neurological diseases that today lack disease-modifying therapies — KCNT1-related epilepsy and Huntington’s disease — and will anchor our growing franchise of investigational medicines for Huntington’s disease. We are diligently progressing these programs toward IND submissions this year so that we can start our Phase 1 trials and reach patients who are waiting.”
- Alicia Secor, Atalanta’s president and chief executive officer
“Atalanta’s di-siRNA technology has shown promising ability to durably silence disease-promoting genes throughout previously inaccessible regions of the brain and spinal cord — opening a wide range of treatment possibilities for devastating neurological diseases. EQT Life Sciences is proud to co-lead this investment in Atalanta’s future as part of such a high-quality investor syndicate, and we look forward to partnering with Atalanta’s leadership to support their continued success.”
- Dr. de Wilde
“We are excited to partner with Atalanta as they enter their next chapter as a clinical-stage company. Their success to-date is a strong validation of their ability to create meaningful new RNAi therapies, and Sanofi Ventures is glad to support Atalanta as they advance their pipeline.”
- Dr. Hafler
