Kallyope Inc. Announces $66M Series B Financing to Advance Programs Targeting the Gut-Brain Axis

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kallyope Inc., a leading biotechnology company focused on identifying therapeutic opportunities involving the gut-brain axis, today announced a $66 million Series B financing and significant progress in building an industry-leading research program.

All investors from the Series A financing participated in the Series B, including Lux Capital, The Column Group, Polaris Partners, Illumina Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments. New investors Euclidean Capital and Two Sigma Ventures also joined the syndicate. 

"We have had two highly productive years since launch, assembling a world-class team, establishing our state-of-the-art technology platform, and initiating several drug discovery programs," said Kallyope CEO Nancy Thornberry. "The Series B financing gives us significant runway to continue to advance our innovative research and unlock the broad potential of the gut-brain axis. We are now poised to become the pre-eminent player in this promising, emerging area of biology."

The gut-brain axis, the bi-directional communication between the gut and the brain, is composed of hormonal and neural circuits. This system modulates important aspects of physiology and behavior, and defects in gut-brain circuits have been linked to metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases as well as CNS disorders including mood, cognition, autism, and Parkinson's Disease.

"Kallyope has developed a unique platform that includes single-cell sequencing, computational biology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and circuit mapping technologies," said Kallyope Founder and Board member Tom Maniatis, Ph.D. "By integrating these complementary technologies, Kallyope is building a comprehensive map of gut-brain circuits, which provides fundamentally new insights into gut and gut-brain biology."

The platform enables a rational, well-informed approach to targeting gut-brain circuits involved in diseases of high unmet need. Based on the novel biology that has been discovered to date, Kallyope has initiated several drug discovery programs for modulating gut-brain circuits with gut-restricted molecules. Initially, the company will focus on metabolic and neurological disorders, but the company's technology platform and map of gut-brain circuits is applicable to virtually every disease area involving the gut and gut-brain axis.

To date, Kallyope has built a team of more than 40 researchers comprising both academic scientists who are experts in neuroscience, gut biology, and the company's core technology areas, and individuals with deep drug discovery expertise and a proven ability to translate science to products. The company expects to grow to nearly 60 employees by the end of 2018.

About Kallyope Inc.
Kallyope, headquartered at the Alexandria Center® for Life Science in New York City, is a platform biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking the therapeutic potential of the gut-brain axis. A cross-disciplinary team integrates cutting-edge technologies in sequencing, bioinformatics, neural imaging, cellular and molecular biology, and human genetics to provide an understanding of gut-brain biology that will lead to transformational therapeutics to improve human health. The company's founders are Charles Zuker, Ph.D., Lasker Award winner Tom Maniatis, Ph.D., and Nobel laureate Richard Axel, M.D. For more information visit www.kallyope.com.

SOURCE Kallyope Inc.

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https://www.kallyope.com