WALTHAM, Mass. — Korsana Biosciences has emerged from stealth with $175 million in funding to develop potential best-in-class treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, led by a next-generation antibody program targeting Alzheimer’s disease.
The biotechnology company was founded in 2024 with a $25 million seed investment and later closed a $150 million private Series A financing in September 2025. The funding, backed by a syndicate of healthcare investors, is expected to support the company through key clinical milestones in 2027, with cash runway extending into 2028.
Korsana’s lead program, KRSA-028, is a next-generation shuttled monoclonal antibody targeting amyloid beta for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The program was discovered in partnership with Paragon Therapeutics and is built on Korsana’s proprietary THETA platform, which is designed to improve delivery of therapeutics to the brain using transferrin receptor and Fc engineering. Preclinical data suggest the approach could enhance amyloid plaque clearance while reducing safety risks seen with earlier therapies.
The company said KRSA-028 was designed to lower the rate of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities and blood-related adverse events, while offering a more convenient low-volume subcutaneous administration. Beyond Alzheimer’s, Korsana is also advancing additional THETA-enabled programs for other undisclosed neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet need.
Korsana is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Violin, Ph.D., a veteran biotech executive who has previously founded and led multiple biotechnology companies.
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of Korsana with a mission to elevate expectations for patients suffering from devastating neurodegenerative diseases,” Violin said. “Alzheimer’s disease represents a massive and growing unmet need, and current treatment options offer only modest benefits with significant limitations. Patients deserve better options than what is currently available, and we believe our lead program KRSA-028 can deliver a best-in-class product.”
Investors said the company’s platform positions it to address shortcomings of earlier Alzheimer’s treatments and brain-shuttle technologies, while leveraging established regulatory pathways.
The initial financing is expected to support clinical development through potentially differentiating pharmacokinetic, brain penetration, and safety data from healthy volunteers anticipated in mid-2027, followed by early proof-of-concept data in Alzheimer’s patients by the end of that year.
