CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– Judo Bio, a biotechnology company pioneering oligonucleotide medicines delivered to the kidney, today announced the company’s launch and $100 million in initial financing, including seed financing and Series A. Atlas Venture founded and incubated Judo Bio with The Column Group joining the seed financing. The Series A was recently closed and co-led by Atlas Venture, TCG and Droia Ventures, with participation from Digitalis Ventures, Euclidean Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, YK Bioventures, and other undisclosed funds. Judo Bio also announced the appointment of biopharma industry veteran Rajiv Patni, M.D., as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Board director.
Judo Bio has discovered a novel approach to create oligonucleotide medicines targeted to the kidney, an organ that has been challenging to access for genetic medicines. The company has completed preclinical studies successfully demonstrating receptor-mediated delivery of oligonucleotides to the kidney with proprietary ligand-siRNA conjugates that silence multiple target genes.
The proceeds from the financing will be used to advance the lead ligand-siRNA conjugate to the clinic and to further build the company’s proprietary STRIKE (Selectively Targeting RNA Into KidnEy) platform. Judo Bio’s initial pipeline programs are megalin-STRIKERs that use the megalin receptor family to selectively deliver siRNA therapeutics to the proximal tubule epithelial cells of the kidney. These megalin-STRIKERs are designed to silence mRNA, resulting in reduction of specific solute carrier proteins (SLCs). SLCs contribute to the homeostasis of circulating substances, including amino acids, electrolytes, glucose, and other metabolites. Targeting SLCs is an established approach for the treatment of various systemic diseases.
Kevin Bitterman, Ph.D., Partner at Atlas Venture, commented, “The Judo team should be applauded for their achievements to date. In a short period, the company has developed a novel platform, demonstrated potent and selective gene knockdown in specific kidney regions, and constructed a pipeline of compelling programs that we are excited to see advanced towards the clinic.”
Judo Bio has appointed Rajiv Patni as its CEO. Dr. Patni is a 25-year veteran of the pharma and public biotech ecosystem. Most recently, he served at Chief R&D Officer at Reata Pharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Biogen in 2023. Previously, he served as Chief Medical Officer at several successful public small-cap biotech companies, including Global Blood Therapeutics and Portola Pharmaceuticals. He joined these companies at inflection points in their R&D trajectory. During his tenure, Dr. Patni supported team efforts for initial drug approvals, indication expansions, and acquisitions by larger companies. Earlier in his career, Dr. Patni held roles at Pfizer, Roche, and Actelion.
“I am humbled to join an outstanding and very supportive leadership team, board and advisory group. They are bona-fide experts in oligonucleotide science and therapeutics, as well as company creation. With the Series A funding in hand, Judo can build on its solid foundation and nominate a series of development candidates, with efficient and timely proof-of-concept data readouts,” said Dr. Patni.
John Maraganore, Ph.D., founder and former CEO of Alnylam, commented, “The promise of renally-targeted oligonucleotide medicines has been a long-standing challenge. With Judo Bio’s discovery of novel ligands that result in oligonucleotide delivery to specific kidney cells, diseases that were intractable to this approach may now be within reach.”
Judo Bio’s leadership team, scientific advisors and Board of directors bring unparalleled knowledge of oligonucleotide therapies and a proven track record of discovering and developing transformative therapies. The company’s scientific team is led by Alfica Sehgal, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, who has more than 15 years of experience working on leading-edge RNA and siRNA therapeutic programs at CAMP4 Therapeutics and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.
