The series A funding will help UMass-founded genetic disease therapy developer Apic Bio progress targeted drugs for ALS and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Apic Bio, a US-based genetic disease therapeutics spinout of University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), closed a $40m series A round on Monday led by Morningside Venture Capital, the VC arm of investment firm Morningside Group.
The round included Alpha-1 Project, a profit-led subsidiary of Alpha-1 Foundation, as well as the ALS Investment Fund and A1ATD Investors.
Founded in 2017, Apic Bio is a genetic disease therapy developer focused on tackling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disorder commonly known as motor neuron disease which causes progressive immobility, and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, an inherited malady with the potential to cause serious lung or liver disease.
The spinout’s primary drug candidates, APB-101 and APB-102, aim to counteract Alpha-1 and ALS respectively. APB-101 works by silencing a harmful protein called Z-AAT and bolstering M-AAT protein levels, while APB-102 targets a genetic mutation called C9orf72 strongly linked to ALS.
Apic…
