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news.Rodin Therapeutics, a biotechnology company applying insights of epigenetics to novel therapeutics for neurological disorders, has closed a $12.9m Series A financing round.
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Current investors Atlas Venture and Johnson & Johnson Development (JJDC) led the financing round. Rodin will use the new funds to advance its pipeline of selective epigenetic modulators towards the clinic.
Rodin’s chairman and acting CEO, and a partner at Atlas Venture, Bruce Booth said that the company has spent the last year validating the thesis that an unique chemistry approach, high potential biology, and a strong team could drive generation of compelling therapies for CNS diseases.
"The Series A investment is a culmination of our efforts over the last 12 months to start a preeminent company in the field," Booth said.
The Rodin approach is the product of a strategic partnership with Proteros, a founding shareholder in Rodin. Proteros’ capabilities in structure-accelerated lead discovery enables an orthogonal evaluation of the interactions of small molecules as they bind to key epigenetic targets.
Since its inception in March 2013, Rodin has advanced its internal pipeline of epigenetic modulators and obtained an exclusive license to an additional chemical series developed at the Broad Institute and tested at Rodin.
The company has also assembled an esteemed scientific advisory board, chaired by Li-Huei Tsai, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Additional members of the SAB include Jeffrey Nye of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Marcelo Wood from the University of California, Irvine, Lisa Monteggia from the University of Texas Southwestern, Andre Fischer from the University of Gottingen, Ed Holson of the Broad Institute, and Stephen Haggarty from the Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Rodin team is led by Marty Jefson, chief scientific officer, Ankit Mahadevia, acting chief business officer and venture partner at Atlas Venture, and Booth.
Barbara Tate, formerly of Satori Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer, has joined the team as head of biology, and several experts on the Proteros team continue to complement Rodin’s efforts. Booth will continue to represent Atlas Venture as chairman of the board; Marian Nakada will continue to serve as the JJDC representative and Torsten Neuefeind will serve as the Proteros representative.