Rare Daily Staff
Microbiome drug developer Kaleido Biosciences said it raised funding totalling $65 million and named former head of Cubist Pharmaceuticals Mike Bonney as its CEO as it emerged from stealth mode.
Flagship Pioneering (formerly Flagship Ventures), which founded the company in 2015 to unlock the microbiome to treat disease and enhance health, unveiled the company. It is expected to launch four human studies this year including one in the area of rare disease, although it did not specify the specific disease.
The microbiome, which consists of trillions of microbes that live on and in the human body, has become an area of great interest to drug developers for the role it plays in both wellness and disease. Kaleido said it is seeking to develop interventions that can enhance and protect the beneficial functions of the microbiome, target specific disease processes, and improve general health.
The company has created an R&D platform for the development and clinical testing of novel chemistries that target the microbiome. It said this allows for rapid discovery and development timeline. Since its founding in 2015. The company said it has already advanced three lead products into human studies, demonstrated preclinical efficacy in an additional five indication areas, and is on track to initiate more than 20 clinical studies in the next 18 months.
Bonney joins Kaleido from Cubist Pharmaceuticals, which Merck acquired for $9.5 billion in 2015. There, he oversaw the development and release of the antibiotic Cubicin. He currently serves as chair of the board of Alnylam, where he has helped guide the company as it prepares to launch its first commercial product. He also serves as a board member of Celgene and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, among others.
September 18, 2017
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