Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Business

Firms aim to fathom diseases

Genomics Medicine Ireland and BlackThorn Therapeutics get venture support for understanding diseases

by Ann M. Thayer
October 31, 2016 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 94, Issue 43

Venture capital investors are helping two start-up companies each raise $40 million that will go toward better understanding of human disease.

Genomics Medicine Ireland has secured Series A funding from Arch Venture Partners, Polaris Partners, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, and GV, formerly known as Google Ventures. Created in 2015, GMI has founders that include the biotech giant Amgen. Its genomics technology is based on work by Iceland’s DeCode Genetics, which Amgen acquired in 2012.

GMI will now build a genomics R&D center in Dublin with some 150 employees. Through collaborations with hospitals and clinical centers, it intends to conduct population-scale genome studies to understand the interplay of genetics and lifestyle in disease. It believes that the knowledge can lead to improved diagnostics, targeted therapies, and more effective prevention.

Separately, Arch, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and other investment funds have launched BlackThorn Therapeutics. The South San Francisco-based neuroscience firm’s scientific founders are Edward Roberts and Hugh Rosen of Scripps Research Institute California.

BlackThorn plans to discover treatments for neurobehavioral disorders by linking brain physiology to behavior using advanced imaging and assessment tools. The company already has a program in Phase II clinical trials. It licensed BTRX-246040—a small-molecule antagonist of the nociceptin receptor, which has been linked to multiple neurobehavioral disorders—from Eli Lilly & Co. BlackThorn’s second-most advanced program is a κ-opioid receptor antagonist.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.