Latus Bio, a biotechnology company engineering scalable gene therapies for broader patient populations, has closed a $97 million Series A financing, including a $43 million extension led by 8VC, with participation from existing investors DCVC Bio, BioAdvance, Benjamin Franklin Technology Partners, Modi Ventures, Gaingels, and Hatch BioFund, along with new investors Korea Development Bank and Helen’s Pink Sky Foundation.
Proceeds will fund operations through key clinical milestones across Latus Bio’s two most advanced programs: LTS-201 for Huntington’s disease, which is on track for IND submission in Q3 2026, and LTS-101 for late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, or CLN2 disease, which has received IND clearance along with Orphan Drug, Rare Pediatric Disease, and Fast Track designations from the FDA. LTS-101’s first-in-human investigator-initiated trial is expected to initiate in Q3 2026, with initial safety, biomarker, and clinical results expected by year-end.
Latus Bio’s approach combines proprietary and engineered AAV capsids with optimal routes of clinical administration to enable efficient delivery at the lowest doses in the industry, designed to support scalability across traditional ultra-rare disease settings and broader indications. In addition to CNS disorders, the company is advancing capsid variants with potential applications across kidney, eye, heart, and muscle diseases. Huntington’s disease affects more than 100,000 patients in major gene therapy markets and currently has no approved disease-modifying therapies.
KEY QUOTES:
“This financing, completed in a highly selective capital environment for gene therapy, supports the advancement of our clinical pipeline and strategy to expand gene therapy to larger diseases that affect greater numbers of patients. By combining proprietary and engineered AAV capsids with optimal routes for clinical delivery, we aim to achieve robust cell- and tissue-specific transduction at low doses, which we believe is critical to improving safety, efficacy, manufacturability, and costs.”
P. Peter Ghoroghchian, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Latus Bio
“The Company’s strategy to focus on large-rare and broader CNS indications, combined with its novel capsid engineering and clinically-grounded delivery approach, positions it to address longstanding limitations to gene therapy access. We believe this integrated platform has the potential to support repeatable clinical success across multiple programs, with a major commercial unlock in Huntington’s disease.”
Francisco Gimenez, Partner, 8VC
