Memo Therapeutics AG

Plus, news about Aerska: 🇰🇷 Seoul biotech gets $29M: South Korean startup Galux has raised a Series B for its AI-driven R&D work, which includes designing new protein therapeutics. The biotech is partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim , HanAll Biopharma and Celltrion. — Kyle LaHucik 🤝 CSL teams up with Memo Therapeutics: Switzerland’s Memo said it signed a licensing deal with CSL to work on immune therapies together. It comes with an undisclosed upfront payment and could be worth as much as 265 million Swiss francs ($328 million), plus royalties. — Drew Armstrong 💰 Aerska collects $39M Series A: Jack O’Meara’s RNA startup nabbed the funding from EQT Dementia Fund, age1, Iaso Ventures and others. The money will go toward the Dublin- and London-based biotech’s work on RNAi medicines for neurological diseases. The company came out of stealth with $21 million in October. — Kyle LaHucik

A new deal between CSL and Memo Therapeutics centers on Memo\'s Dropzylla discovery platform, an antibody repertoire copying engine based on microfluidic single-cell processing of human B cells. \n CSL has gotten the Memo about the value of recombinant polyclonal immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies. The company is signing on to a collaboration and option agreement with Memo Therapeutics that could see up to 265 million Swiss francs ($328 million) in biobucks for products using Memo’s recombinant polyclonal IgG technology.The agreement includes Memo developing recombinant polyclonal IgG products using its Dropzylla technology platform for cloning human antibody repertoires and polyclonal antibody expression. With the deal, CSL has an option to exclusively license the products. If CSL exercises the option, Memo could earn up to $328 million in R&D funding, a licensing fee and development and sales milestones for the first product, plus a single-digit royalty.  \"IgG immunotherapies are used to treat a wide range of illnesses including, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency and autoimmune disorders,” Memo’s CEO Erik van den Berg explained in a Monday release, adding that the collaboration validates its Dropzylla technology and \"shared ambition to advance innovative IgG solutions.” On CSL’s side, the deal aims to “explore new treatment options for people with rare and serious diseases,” CSL\'s senior vice president of global research Michael Wilson, Ph.D., commented.Recombinant polyclonal human IgG antibodies mimic the body’s natural immune response and are produced in a lab, as opposed to being taken from human blood plasma. This allows for the development of specific and consistent polyclonal antibodies that can be further tailored for different therapeutic options.Memo’s Dropzylla platform is an antibody repertoire copying engine based on microfluidic single-cell processing of human B cells, allowing the company to biobank large recombinant antibody libraries and isolate the most potent antibodies. The discovery platform is supposed to achieve 100 times higher immune cell repertoire coverage compared with conventional approaches by creating “near complete” antibody repertoires, therefore identifying more potent antibodies than “any other technology,” Memo says on its website. The company has been eager to line up partnerships for the tech, noting on its site that it is “available for collaborative joint partnerships.” CSL, meanwhile, slashed its workforce in August in an attempt to cut R&D costs and move toward a more “optimal mix of internal capabilities and external partnerships,” a spokesperson told Fierce last summer. The company is also undergoing a broader restructuring across its several business units that is expected to save between $500 million and $550 million a year progressively over the next three years.

Aerska's series A triples funds for brain delivery of RNAiGalux bags $29M for AI protein designVesalic claims ALS target breakthrough in debutCSL bets on Memo's polyclonal IgG techAerska's series A triples funds for brain delivery of RNAiAerska, which emerged from stealth last October with $21 million in seed funding, has now raised another $39 million via a series A round, bringing its total capital to $60 million. The latest financing was led by EQT Dementia Fund and age1, with participation from Iaso Ventures, as well as existing investors.Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance Aerska's brain shuttle technology to improve delivery of RNAi therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier to treat neurological diseases. The biotech's antibody-oligo conjugate (AOC) platform is progressing towards the clinic.As part of the series A financing, EQT'S Arno de Wilde and Philip Scheltens, along with Alex Colville from age1, will join Aerska's board.-Matthew DennisGalux bags $29M for AI protein designAfter securing a protein design deal with Boehringer Ingelheim last year, South Korean biotech Galux has now raised a $29-million series B to advance its AI platform and build out its R&D infrastructure. The financing adds to an $18-million series A closed in 2022, bringing the firm's total funding to $47 million.The company's protein-focused GaluxDesign technology specialises in de novo antibody design across a range of therapeutic targets, including G protein-coupled receptors and ion channels. By integrating AI with wet lab–generated experimental data, Galux believes its platform can generate precise, consistent antibody structures.Existing backers InterVest, DAYLI Partners and PATHWAY Investment participated in the round alongside new investors including Yuanta Investment, Korea Development Bank, SL Investment, NCORE Ventures, SneakPeek Investments, Korea Investment & Securities and Mirae Asset Securities.-Elizabeth EatonVesalic claims ALS target breakthrough in debutEmerging from stealth on Monday, Vesalic is advancing both therapeutic and diagnostic technologies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that build upon the discovery of a new driver of ALS and other motor neuro diseases (MNDs) that's largely external to the brain and central nervous system (CNS).While Vesalic is keeping the biological specifics close to its chest, the newco said it's targeting a toxic exosome cargo in ALS patients created via a newly discovered systemic metabolic dysfunction. The company plans to "intercept and neutralise" the toxins before they're carried to the CNS, where they bind to and damage neurons — potentially slowing or halting progression of both the monogenic and sporadic forms of ALS. The startup is running in vivo studies and plans to submit regulatory filings in 2027 to move its candidate into the clinic. Along with the novel target, Vesalic has identified a blood-based disease signature it thinks could predict ALS years before a patient is symptomatic. -Elizabeth EatonCSL bets on Memo's polyclonal IgG tech CSL entered into a collaboration with Swiss biotech Memo Therapeutics to advance the latter's recombinant polyclonal IgG technology. Michael Wilson, senior VP of global research at CSL, said the partnership will help "explore new treatment options for people with rare and serious diseases."Under terms of the deal, Memo will use its DROPZYLLA platform to develop recombinant polyclonal IgG products, with CSL holding an exclusive option to license. In return, Memo stands to receive exploratory R&D funding and access to technology, and — if the option is exercised — a licence fee plus milestone payments totalling up to CHF 265 million ($328 million) on the first product, alongside single-digit sales royalties.-Pavan Kamat