February 22nd, 2018
- All existing backers including Lux Capital, The Column Group, and Polaris Partners joined by new investors Euclidean Capital and Two Sigma Ventures
- Progress in building a comprehensive map of gut-brain circuits and identification of therapeutic opportunities
Kallyope Inc., a leading biotechnology company focused on identifying therapeutic opportunities involving the gut-brain axis, today announced a $66 million Series B financing and significant progress in building an industry-leading research program.
All investors from the Series A financing participated in the Series B, including Lux Capital, The Column Group, Polaris Partners, Illumina Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments. New investors Euclidean Capital and Two Sigma Ventures also joined the syndicate.
“We have had two highly productive years since launch, assembling a world-class team, establishing our state-of-the-art technology platform, and initiating several drug discovery programs,” said Kallyope CEO Nancy Thornberry. “The Series B financing gives us significant runway to continue to advance our innovative research and unlock the broad potential of the gut-brain axis. We are now poised to become the pre-eminent player in this promising, emerging area of biology.”
The gut-brain axis, the bi-directional communication between the gut and the brain, is composed of hormonal and neural circuits. This system modulates important aspects of physiology and behavior, and defects in gut-brain circuits have been linked to metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases as well as CNS disorders including mood, cognition, autism, and Parkinson’s Disease.
“Kallyope has developed a unique platform that includes single-cell sequencing, computational biology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and circuit mapping technologies,” said Kallyope Founder and Board member Tom Maniatis, Ph.D. “By integrating these complementary technologies, Kallyope is building a comprehensive map of gut-brain circuits, which provides fundamentally new insights into gut and gut-brain biology.”