Modulo Bio, a San Diego, CA-based biotech startup, came out of stealth mode raising $8m in funding.
Backers included Initialized Capital, Cantos, Bioverge, Spacecadet, Builders VC, Refactor Capital, and Hawktail.
The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development of its first therapeutic program and its Modulo Neuroimmune Platform.
Led by CEO Michael Horowitz, Modulo models the neuroimmune system to identify drug candidates that target microglia cells to treat diseases like ALS, FTD, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The company’s proprietary neuroimmune olatform integrates software, automation, and artificial intelligence, alongside the latest advances in stem cell biology and neuroscience, to pioneer new treatments. Its research starts with patients, leveraging stem cell technology to generate brain cells from patients with different diseases, and culminates in an AI-generated neuroimmune fingerprint of disease.
The company has already identified novel microglia targets and generated candidates that offer the promise of effective treatments for diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Beyond developing treatments that improve the patient outlook, the broader vision of Modulo is to map the entire neuroimmune system to create a better understanding of how neurodegenerative diseases are interrelated.
Alongside Michael Horowitz, Modulo is led by Scott Patterson, seasoned technologist and previously Vice President of Engineering at Counsyl, and Justin Ichida, PhD, Professor at USC, and a leader in modeling ALS and FTD using patient-derived cells.
FinSMEs
01/06/2023