Light Horse Therapeutics Secures $62 Million for Innovative Therapeutics Platform
Light Horse Therapeutics, a pioneering developer of first-in-class small molecule therapeutics, has recently announced a significant milestone in its journey. The company, which is the latest venture launched by Versant Ventures’ Inception Discovery Engine, has secured a substantial $62 million Series A financing. This funding round was led by Versant Ventures and included strategic investors such as Mubadala Capital, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Taiho Ventures, and AbbVie.
At the heart of Light Horse Therapeutics is its innovative precision gene editing-based platform, designed to identify and target the root causes of disabling and life-threatening diseases. This platform systematically interrogates complex signaling pathways to uncover unique sites of vulnerability in disease-critical targets. By examining these targets in their native, cellular context, Light Horse aims to ensure that discoveries made in the lab can be effectively translated into clinical settings.
The company’s initial focus is on addressing high-value, historically challenging oncology targets, with plans to expand its technology to other therapeutic areas in the future. Light Horse’s proprietary platform is built on the integration of distinct approaches from its scientific co-founders, Brian Liau, PhD, Ben Cravatt, PhD, and Nathanael Gray, PhD. These renowned scientists have combined their expertise to create a cutting-edge discovery platform that rapidly enables the exploration of core biological areas of interest, the identification of novel targets, and the functionalization of high-value targets.
In addition to its Series A financing, Light Horse Therapeutics has also entered into a strategic collaboration with Novartis to identify and develop potentially first-in-class therapeutics using its drug discovery platform. Under the terms of this multi-target collaboration, Light Horse will receive a $25 million upfront payment and is eligible for up to $1 billion in further research, development, and sales milestone payments, along with royalties on licensed therapeutics.
Markus Renschler, CEO of Light Horse Therapeutics, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that it presents an extraordinary opportunity to leverage the company’s unbiased genetic screening platform and proprietary chemical libraries to address novel, high-value targets previously considered hard to drug. John Tallarico, Head of Discovery Sciences at Novartis, echoed this sentiment, noting that Light Horse’s high-caliber team has built a cutting-edge discovery platform that has the potential to create first-in-class therapeutics capable of driving meaningful benefit for patients.
The leadership team at Light Horse Therapeutics boasts a proven track record of building successful biopharmaceutical companies and developing and commercializing innovative, practice-changing cancer treatments. The company’s chairman, Thomas Daniel, highlighted the deep scientific talent, experienced management team, and strong syndicate of strategic and institutional investors that position Light Horse for success in delivering exceptional drug candidates addressing unmet medical needs.
With its groundbreaking platform and strategic partnerships, Light Horse Therapeutics is poised to make significant strides in the development of first-in-class small molecule therapeutics, offering hope for patients suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. The company’s commitment to precision and innovation in drug discovery is set to transform the landscape of therapeutic development, paving the way for more effective and targeted treatments in the future.
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