Atalanta Therapeutics has launched out of UMass with $110m in combined series A and partnership funding to develop therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Atalanta Therapeutics, a US-based biotechnology developer focused on neurodegenerative diseases, has launched to advance research from University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School.
The spinout has secured a total of $110m in funding, including a series A round supplied by F-Prime Capital, a branch of financial services group Fidelity.
Biotechnology company Biogen and Genentech, a biotech subsidiary of pharmaceutical group Roche, provided upfront payments as part of strategic collaboration agreements.
The company has not specified individual sums.
Atalanta is commercialising technology called branched siRNA to silence gene expression in the central nervous system, with applications across multiple neurodegenerative conditions.
Preclinical research has demonstrated the technology’s ability to penetrate deep brain structures and achieve prolonged duration of effect.
Its collaboration with Biogen will focus on Huntington’s disease and undisclosed conditions, while the partnership with Genentech will target conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
The company was co-founded by Anastasia Khvorova, a professor in the RNA Therapeutics Institute, Craig Mello, the Blais University chair in molecular medicine, and Neil Aronin, a professor of medicine and RNA therapeutics.

Thierry Heles

Thierry Heles is the editor of Global University Venturing, host of the Beyond the Breakthrough interview podcast and responsible for the monthly GUV Gazette (sign up here for free).