Biotechnology company LoQus23 Therapeutics has closed its £35 million (c.$43 million) Series A financing.

The financing round was led by Forbion, alongside existing investors SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) and Novartis Venture Fund (NVF). Forbion General Partner Rogier Rooswinkel will join LoQus23’s Board of Directors.

LoQus23 was founded in 2019 by Entrepreneurs in Residence at DDF Dr David Reynolds, Dr Caroline Benn, and Dr Ruth McKernan CBE, FMedSci and seeded by SV’s Dementia Discovery Fund.

The Mismatch Repair (MMR) branches of the DNA Damage Repair (DDR) system repair DNA insertions, deletions and misincorporation errors during transcription and/or cellular replication, with two main pathways dependent upon the size of mismatch – MutSα for small mismatches and MutSβ for larger insertion / deletion loops.

Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder for which there is currently no disease modifying treatment available.

By targeting somatic expansion, LoQus23 is hoping to slow or even halt the onset and progression of Huntington’s disease, a concept supported by genetic studies and recently strengthened by preclinical models.

The proceeds of the Series A financing will be primarily used to support the pre-clinical development and initial clinical studies of LoQus23’s lead programme, an allosteric small molecule MutSβ inhibitor. The company is hoping to enter the clinic in 2026.

Dr David Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer of LoQus23 Therapeutics, said: “This financing will enable us to develop key clinical data to support the development of our exciting lead programme. The ever-increasing body of data pointing to somatic expansion, caused by aberrant DNA mismatch repair, as being the primary culprit in Huntington’s disease provides great support that our approach of developing oral small molecule therapies will be transformative for patients with this dreadful inherited disease.”

Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, DDW