Autobahn Therapeutics Launches with $76 Million to Develop Next Generation Therapies for CNS Disorders

Rare Daily Staff

Autobahn Therapeutics has launched with $76 million to develop the next generation of regenerative medicines to restore hope for people affected by central nervous system disorders.

ARCH Venture Partners and Cowen Healthcare Investments co-led the series B financing, with participation from BVF Partners, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer Ventures, Invus, Section 32, Samsara BioCapital and Alexandria Venture Investments.

The proceeds will be used to advance Autobahn’s portfolio of CNS programs that leverage its brain-targeting chemistry platform, including lead program candidate, ABX-002, a thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist therapy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), and adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), a rare X-linked genetic disorder that leads to a buildup of long-chain fatty acids, the buildup of which damage myelin, the fatty covering of nerve and brain cells.

“Autobahn is harnessing the regenerative power of the human body to treat both rare and prevalent CNS disorders,” said Kevin Finney, chairman and chief executive officer of Autobahn. “We are coupling our deep knowledge of thyroid hormone biology and remyelination with our brain-targeting chemistry platform to restore the brain to a healthier state.”

Autobahn’s scientific approach is based on the well-established role that thyroid hormone plays in the production of myelin, the protective sheath that forms around nerves. The degeneration of myelin is associated with many CNS disorders, including MS. Autobahn is developing small molecule, thyroid hormone receptor beta agonists designed to stimulate remyelination and address the progressive nature of MS and other diseases that result from demyelination.

The company deploys a brain-targeting chemistry platform to maximize exposure selectively in the brain, and biomarker-driven development to establish on-target activity and proof-of-mechanism early in development.

Photo: Kevin Finney, chairman and chief executive officer of Autobahn.