Rodin Therapeutics, a US-based company which applies epigenetics to therapeutics for neurological disorders, has been co-founded by US-based venture capital firm Atlas Venture and Germany-based biotechnology services company Proteros Biostructures, with seed funding provided by Atlas Venture and Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (venture capital subsidiary of healthcare company Johnson & Johnson).
Johnson & Johnson’s newly opened Boston Innovation Center (located in Cambridge, Massachusetts) and Janssen Research & Development, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, will collaborate with Rodin Therapeutics.
Rodin will have a strategic, working partnership with Proteros, which is a founding shareholder in Rodin. Proteros will offer Rodin access to technology and exclusive rights to key targets.
Dr Bruce Booth, Atlas Venture partner and acting chief executive officer of Rodin Therapeutics said: “The field of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease represents a critical unmet medical need with a large opportunity for new therapeutics. We are excited to launch Rodin Therapeutics as a capital efficient vehicle to take a novel, epigenetics guided approach to these diseases.”
Arnd Christ, chief finance officer of Proteros, said: “Rodin represents an innovative, target-focused financing approach to address the interest of all parties involved.”
Dr Torsten Neuefeind, chief executive officer of Proteros, said: “We are excited about the founding of Rodin Therapeutics and to join the high caliber team of CNS experts and blue chip investors. This is a further validation of our structure-based discovery platform for a novel neuroscience approach.”