Latus Bio completed a Series A fundraiser of $97 million, doubling down on its commitment to bringing gene therapy to bigger and more diverse patient populations. Part of the round was a $43 million extension led by 8VC, with the support of familiar investors like DCVC Bio BioAdvance Benjamin Franklin Technology Partners, Modi Ventures, Gaingels, and Hatch BioFund. Besides them, newcomers in the round were Korea Development Bank and Helen’s Pink Sky Foundation.
The newly secured capital will support the advancement of the company’s gene therapy pipeline, including key clinical milestones for its lead programs. These include LTS-201, targeting Huntington’s disease, and LTS-101, designed for CLN2 disease. In addition, funding will accelerate preclinical programs leveraging Latus Bio’s proprietary AAV discovery platform.
“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, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Latus Bio. “By combining proprietary and engineered AAV capsids with optimal routes for clinical delivery, we aim to achieve robust cell- and tissue-specific transduction at low doses, which we believe is critical to improving safety, efficacy, manufacturability, and costs. This approach enables a repeatable model for developing therapies across multiple underserved indications with significant unmet need. We are advancing LTS-201 toward a first-in-human study in Huntington’s disease, which is our first step into large-rare CNS indications. In parallel, LTS-101 for CLN2 disease will advance towards initial clinical data in late 2026 through an investigator-initiated trial.”
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The investment aligns with the growing belief in next-gen gene therapy platforms that can be scaled. Lately, there has been more focus on gene therapies for large-rare diseases and disorders of the central nervous system. Latus Bio is quite unique as they can implement multi-specialty gene therapies programs through the use of specially engineered AAV capsids that are capable of delivering efficiently at lower doses – this is a breakthrough that can potentially enhance safety, scalability and manufacturing efficiency.
“Investor support for this financing reflects conviction in Latus’ differentiated and scalable approaches to gene therapy,” said Francisco Gimenez, Partner, 8VC. “The Company’s strategy to focus on large-rare and broader CNS indications, combined with its novel capsid engineering and clinically-grounded delivery approach, positions it to address longstanding limitations to gene therapy access. We believe this integrated platform has the potential to support repeatable clinical success across multiple programs, with a major commercial unlock in Huntington’s disease. When coupled with near-term validation from LTS-101, there is a clear path to expansion into more prevalent disease populations.”
Latus Bio is focused on overcoming traditional limitations of gene therapy by targeting diseases that impact larger patient populations beyond ultra-rare conditions. Its platform integrates engineered AAV capsids with optimized clinical delivery methods to enable efficient gene transfer at minimal doses. This approach is expected to enhance therapeutic scalability and unlock broader applications across CNS and other organ systems, including kidney, eye, heart, and muscle diseases.
LTS-201, the lead candidate of the company, is a novel therapy that aims to halt the progression of Huntington’s disease by inhibiting MSH3, a significant contributor to the disease. LTS-201 is expected to be ready for IND submission by the third quarter of 2026. The preclinical data show that the drug is able to strongly target medium spiny neurons, which is an indication of the drug’s ability to offer lasting single-dose treatment benefit.
On the other hand, LTS-101 has already gotten the IND green light and has been granted several regulatory designations, including Orphan Drug, Rare Pediatric Disease, and Fast Track by the FDA. This program is planned to begin first-in-human clinical trial in 2026, with initial safety and efficacy data expected by the end of the year. The results of this trial are expected to guide future programs and extend the platform’s reach to larger disease populations.
Backed by a team of seasoned professionals and supported by substantial investors, Latus Bio is setting itself as one of the major contributors to the gene therapy scaling trend, hoping to
