Frequency Therapeutics, Inc.

Korro’s OPERA platform is designed to use an oligonucleotide to "co-opt a natural process in the human body to make changes in mRNA encoding the protein." Novo Nordisk isn’t done with the RNA deals, this time penning a $530 million biobucks deal to work with Korro Bio on two cardiometabolic-related targets.Korro’s Oligonucleotide Promoted Editing of RNA (OPERA) platform is designed to use an oligonucleotide to “co-opt a natural process in the human body to make changes in mRNA encoding the protein, leaving the DNA genome unaltered, thus aiming to bring a pharmacologically titratable approach using genetic medicine,” Novo explained in the Sept. 16 release.The Danish pharma made a concerted push into the ribonucleic acid space via the acquisition of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals in 2021. Since then, it has collaborated with Eleven Therapeutics to identify new molecules that promote the precise delivery of RNA-based therapies, and more recently bought out Cardior Pharmaceuticals, which is developing an antisense oligonucleotide to inhibit a piece of noncoding RNA.Novo said this morning that there “continues to be a need to explore novel treatment approaches for cardiometabolic conditions including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.” “RNA editing can specifically and efficiently modulate protein function, potentially enabling access to previously undruggable targets for cardiometabolic diseases,” Novo explained.Uli Stilz, Head of Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub, said in the release that the company is “excited to partner with Korro on its differentiated RNA editing platform as we explore novel technologies to address the unmet need for people living with cardiometabolic diseases.”“With our deep knowledge of cardiometabolic diseases and Korro’s unique approach, we have the opportunity to establish a new paradigm of treatment modalities for cardiometabolic diseases by addressing otherwise undruggable targets,” Stilz added.Novo didn’t provide a breakdown of the financials from the deal beyond the top-line figure of $530 million biobucks. We do know that Korro will take forward two programs aimed at undisclosed cardiometabolic targets through preclinical development, with Novo taking over for human studies and beyond.“This collaboration enables us to use our proprietary technologies and capabilities in RNA editing to develop potential new treatments for people living with chronic diseases without impacting our internal pipeline focus,” Korro’s CEO Ram Aiyar, Ph.D., said in the release. “This partnership will expand the opportunity to potentially bring targeted RNA editing to diseases with high prevalence.”Korro, which went public last year via a merger with Frequency Therapeutics, has been aiming to get FDA permission later this year to enter its lead asset KRRO-110 into a first-in-human trial. The candidate, developed with the OPERA platform, is designed to treat alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) by correcting the AAT protein.

Financing led by BOLD Capital Partners, alongside early investments from Horizons Ventures and participation from a syndicate of leading angel investors in the life sciences Capital to support clinical development of first-in-class, worm-derived medicines for allergies and autoimmune disorders and advancement of discovery engine Peter Barton Hutt, former Chief Counsel for the Food and Drug Administration, joins Holoclara’s Board of Directors PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Holoclara, a biotechnology company pioneering the development of worm-derived therapies for allergies and autoimmune disorders, today announced the completion of an oversubscribed $16 million Series A financing led by BOLD Capital Partners. Horizons Ventures, Tarrasque, Endurance28, Freeflow Ventures, and a syndicate of leading angel investors also participated in the round. In connection with the financing, Peter Barton Hutt, former Chief Counsel for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and currently senior counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, has been appointed to the company’s Board of Directors. The capital will be used to progress development of Holoclara’s orally available therapeutics into the clinic this year. The company additionally continues to advance its broader discovery engine to isolate and identify from worms particular molecules with therapeutic potential. “Holoclara was born out of an unmet clinical need. During my physician training, I met countless patients with life-altering allergies and autoimmune disorders that were often undiagnosed and untreated. Medicine lacked the tools to address these debilitating diseases — despite compelling evidence I and other worm scientists unearthed pointing to worms as a promising, if unexpected, therapeutic approach,” said Andrea Choe, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Holoclara. “With our world-class team and leading investors, we are taking matters into our own hands to usher in a new era of medicines inspired by nature that can transform the lives of millions of people.” The company’s discovery engine builds on Dr. Choe’s research uncovering a unique pheromone language shared by roundworms, which may have evolved over hundreds of millions of years. She further discovered molecules derived from these worms that blocked formation of disease in animal models of allergic and autoimmune disease. These findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal, became the foundation of Holoclara’s technology, enabling the company to replicate therapeutic molecules using synthetic chemistry for the development of safe and orally available medicines with the potential to treat, and even cure, prevalent diseases. "Holoclara’s ‘against the grain’ approach of seeking inspiration from worms intrigued the BOLD Capital team from the very start,” said Neal Bhadkamkar, Ph.D., General Partner of BOLD Capital Partners and member of Holoclara’s Board of Directors. “By focusing on a particular worm species that had co-evolved with humans over hundreds of thousands of years as a gut-resident parasite, Holoclara discovered powerful immune modulatory compounds in their secretions. The company is mining this previously unexplored vein for the potential to create therapies for chronic inflammatory conditions that work with the immune system rather than against it.” “I’m pleased to advise Holoclara as the company moves its groundbreaking science harnessing worm biology closer to the clinic and into the hands of countless patients suffering from allergic and autoimmune diseases today,” said Peter Barton Hutt. “Holoclara has assembled a strong and experienced scientific and medical team to pursue this new generation of medicine.” Dr. Choe founded Holoclara with Paul W. Sternberg, Ph.D., professor at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Frank C. Schroeder, Ph.D., professor at Cornell University. Additional leading scientists and entrepreneurs sit on the company’s Board of Directors, including Dr. Bhadkamkar, Mr. Hutt, and Seemay Chou, Ph.D., CEO of Arcadia Science. Its advisors include Rick Maizels, Ph.D., professor at University of Glasgow; Brian Stoltz, Ph.D., professor at Caltech; Stan Lapidus, serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Cytyc Corporation and EXACT Sciences; Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph.D., CEO of Pendulum Therapeutics; Joe Betts-LaCroix, CEO of Retro Biosciences; and Carl LeBel, Ph.D., biotech executive formerly of Amgen, Otonomy, and Frequency Therapeutics. About Holoclara Holoclara is the first biotechnology company to create safe, orally available worm-derived therapies designed to provide relief to millions of people living with allergic and autoimmune disease. Founded and led by physician-scientist Andrea Choe, Holoclara mines potent immunomodulatory molecules from gut roundworms, building upon decades of preclinical data proving their therapeutic efficacy across a wide range of diseases. With a team of world-renowned experts in worm biology and biotechnology and the backing of leading life sciences and technology investors, Holoclara is uniquely positioned to harness the therapeutic potential of worms to address historically untreatable diseases. To learn more, visit .

A new biotech emerged to take forward the lead preclinical work developed by Frequency Therapeutics, a regenerative medicines company that gave up its Nasdaq spot in a reverse merger with Korro Bio last year. Known as Progentos Therapeutics, the Watertown, MA-based startup has raised $65 million in Series A funding, the company told Endpoints News . Forbion, based in the Netherlands, led the financing. Alta Partners, Mission BioCapital, Longwood Fund and Dolby Family Ventures also backed the new company. You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.