Orthogon Therapeutics—a developer of novel antiviral medicines—announced closing an oversubscribed financing round that exceeded its $5 million target and brought total funding to over $25 million. This funding round will accelerate the development of its first-in-class treatments for managing BK virus reactivation in transplant patients.
The company has also developed small molecule drugs directly targeting viral proteins essential to the polyomavirus life cycle. And polyomaviruses lack conventional antiviral protein targets and have eluded drug development for decades. Backed by a diversified investor base and a pipeline of drugs with unique mechanisms of action, Orthogon addresses this area of urgent unmet medical need.
This breakthrough coincides with Orthogon’s creation of an animal model to study BK polyomavirus pathology. Historically, researchers have lacked in vivo insights into BK virus disease progression. And this model deepens understanding of disease mechanisms and provides a robust platform for testing therapies, solidifying Orthogon’s leadership in addressing barriers to polyomavirus treatments.
The company’s therapeutic strategy provides the first comprehensive solution to managing the full BK virus risk ladder—from early reactivation, indicated by virus shedding in the urine, to systemic spread and severe complications such as BKVAN, graft dysfunction, and transplant failure. And by intervening at the earliest stages of reactivation, this approach extends treatment benefits to more patients, reduces the need for aggressive late-stage interventions, and improves long-term transplant success.
This strategic funding underscores Orthogon’s disciplined capitalization approach. It enables focused progress on high-impact milestones and reinforces investor confidence in its mission to deliver the first orally administered therapy for BK polyomavirus infections.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our high-affinity small molecule antivirals rival the potency of biologics without their drawbacks. This achievement highlights our platform’s ability to target previously undruggable viral proteins.”
- Dr. Stephen Weeks, VP of Structural Biology at Orthogon Therapeutics
“It is incredibly rewarding to see our drug designs progress from the bench into translational models. Our small molecule antivirals offer unique advantages over emerging therapies, overcoming challenges in delivery, stability, and—most importantly—reaching the intracellular sites of viral replication in the kidney. These capabilities, combined with the dosing flexibility of oral administration, enable us to close significant gaps in transplant patient care.”
- Ali H. Munawar, Ph.D., CEO of Orthogon Therapeutics
