Atalanta Therapeutics has raised $97m in a Series B funding round to advance two RNA interference (RNAi) therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases into clinical trials.

The biotech company focuses on developing RNAi therapies for neurological diseases.

This funding will support Phase 1 trials for KCNT1-related epilepsy and Huntington’s disease treatments. Atalanta Therapeutics plans investigational new drug (IND) submissions this year for its first two programmes.

EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures co-led the financing, with participation from RiverVest Venture Partners, Novartis Venture Fund, abrdn, Pictet Alternative Advisors, Mirae Asset, and GHR Foundation, alongside existing investor F-Prime Capital.

The Series B financing increases Atalanta Therapeutics’ total capital raised to $262m.

Along with this funding, the company announced the appointment of Arno de Wilde from EQT Life Sciences, Jason Hafler from Sanofi Ventures, and Niall O’Donnell from RiverVest Venture Partners to its board of directors.

EQT Life Sciences managing director Arno de Wilde said: “Atalanta’s di-siRNA technology has shown promising ability to durably and evenly silence disease-promoting genes throughout previously inaccessible regions of the brain and spinal cord, opening a wide range of treatment possibilities for devastating neurological diseases.”

ATL-201 is Atalanta Therapeutics’ investigational therapy for KCNT1-related epilepsy, a severe early-onset seizure disorder caused by gain-of-function variants in the KCNT1 gene.

ATL-201 works by reducing KCNT1 levels and normalising neuronal excitability.

According to Boston-based Atalanta Therapeutics, the asset has reduced seizures, improved behaviour, and demonstrated strong durability and tolerability in preclinical studies.

The company’s second development candidate, ATL-101, is a di-siRNA designed to silence the HTT gene for Huntington’s disease treatment.

Preclinical studies have shown that a single dose of ATL-101 significantly reduces HTT expression, including in deep brain regions, with six months of durability and excellent tolerability, the biotechnology company said.

Atalanta Therapeutics president and CEO Alicia Secor said: “Importantly, this Series B will support a path to the clinic for two programs for serious neurological diseases that today lack disease-modifying therapies, KCNT1-related epilepsy and Huntington’s disease, and will anchor our growing franchise of investigational medicines for Huntington’s disease.”

Atalanta Therapeutics is advancing a pipeline of disease-modifying programmes for severe chronic pain and other neurological diseases. The company is also engaged in partnered programmes through a collaboration with Genentech.