Latus Extends Series A Round to Raise Total of $97 Million

Rare Daily Staff

Latus Bio said it raised $97 million in a series A financing to advance its gene therapy pipeline and expand its approach to larger patient populations, with a lead program targeting Huntington’s disease.

The company said it expects to submit an investigational new drug application for its Huntington’s candidate, LTS-201, in the third quarter of 2026.

8VC led a $43 million extension of the round, with participation from existing investors DCVC Bio, BioAdvance, Benjamin Franklin Technology Partners, Modi Ventures, Gaingels, and Hatch BioFund, along with new investors Korea Development Bank and Helen’s Pink Sky Foundation.

Latus Bio said it will use the proceeds to fund operations through key milestones, including generating initial clinical data for LTS-201 in Huntington’s disease and LTS-101 in CLN2 disease. The company also plans to advance additional preclinical programs built on its proprietary AAV capsid discovery platform and support broader development across central nervous system indications.

Huntington’s disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 100,000 patients in major gene therapy markets. The condition stems from an expansion of DNA repeats in the Huntingtin gene, which leads to the buildup of mutant protein in the brain. Patients typically develop normally early in life but later experience progressive cognitive decline, psychiatric symptoms, and motor dysfunction as neurons in key brain regions degenerate. No therapies currently modify the course of the disease.

LTS-201 is an investigational AAV gene therapy designed to reduce expression of MSH3, a DNA repair enzyme that drives somatic instability in Huntington’s disease. The therapy uses an engineered microRNA delivered via a proprietary capsid that targets medium spiny neurons and cortical projection neurons in the deep brain. Latus Bio designed the treatment as a single low-dose administration intended to slow or halt disease progression by limiting repeat expansion in the mutant Huntingtin gene, with the potential for durable benefit.

The company said its broader platform combines engineered AAV capsids with optimized delivery approaches to enable efficient gene transfer at low doses, which it believes could improve safety, scalability, and manufacturing across multiple diseases.

“This financing, completed in a highly selective capital environment for gene therapy, supports the advancement of our clinical pipeline and strategy to expand gene therapy to larger diseases that affect greater numbers of patients,” said P. Peter Ghoroghchian, CEO of Latus Bio.