Chemical proteomics platform Jnana Therapeutics completes US$50 million in Series B financing

Recently, in Boston, Jnana Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, used its next-generation chemical proteomics platform to target SLC transporters and other fully validated but difficult-to-drug targets, and announced the completion of a US$50 million Series B financing. The financing was led by RA Capital Management and included all existing investors, including Polaris Partners, Versant Ventures, Avalon Ventures, AbbVie Ventures and Pfizer Ventures.

The proceeds of this financing will enable Jnana to advance its lead project for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU) to clinical development, while advancing a series of other projects, and continue to invest in its innovative and proven RAPID platform to discover small Molecular therapies are difficult targets for medicines.

"This commitment and support from a strong investor consortium will enable Jnana to enter the next stage of development as we advance our extensive wholly-owned project pipeline to the clinic and continue to expand the application of our platform," Co-founder of Jnana Therapeutics , Said Dr. Joanne Kotz, CEO and President. "We believe that Jnana's leading project provides a differentiated treatment for PKU, using the oral small molecules identified by our RAPID platform, which can be used to treat any PKU patient, regardless of age or PAH mutation."

Jnana's main project aims to provide a new oral method to solve PKU by inhibiting the SLC transporter SLC6A19, which is responsible for the reabsorption of phenylalanine (Phe) in the kidneys, thereby reducing the increase in blood Phe levels that lead to the pathology of PKU disease. Based on data from human biology and in vivo experiments in animal models, inhibition of SLC6A19 provides a promising method that can provide profound therapeutic benefits for PKU patients.

"Jnana pioneered the discovery of small molecule drugs targeting refractory drug targets, including SLC transporters-a class of targets that are highly challenging for drugs but have significant therapeutic potential," said Dr. Matthew Hammond. The head of RA Capital, now a member of Jnana's board of directors. "We are excited about the progress the Jnana team has made in pipeline construction, including their compelling Peking University leadership plan and the company's powerful small molecule discovery platform's ability to drive continuous pipeline growth."