Yumanity Therapeutics applies an innovative drug-discovery platform to develop disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alzheimer’s disease. The company focuses on reversing cellular phenotypes and disease pathologies caused by protein misfolding. Under a strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Merck, Yumanity will collaborate to advance two preclinical programs targeting ALS and frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD) during the research term. After the research term, Merck has the right to continue clinical development and commercialization of those programs. As part of the deal Merck gained exclusive rights to the two programs, joined existing investors by participating in a Series C, and Yumanity received an upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments totaling approximately $500 million plus royalties on net sales. Existing investors named in the announcement include Fidelity Management & Research Company, Redmile Group, Pfizer Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, Tony Coles, and Dolby Family Ventures. Yumanity Therapeutics is focused on transforming drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding. The company leverages three integrated, proprietary discovery platforms developed in the laboratory of Susan Lindquist to identify novel, disease‑modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS. Formed in 2014 and based in Cambridge, Mass., Yumanity was founded by Tony Coles, M.D., and Susan Lindquist, Ph.D., and is led by Dr. Coles as chairman and CEO. The company plans to use recent financing to accelerate advancement of its discovery platforms and devote resources to research and drug discovery. Its approach emphasizes reversing cellular phenotypes and disease pathologies caused by misfolded proteins and uses yeast‑based biology to enable high‑throughput screening. Financially, Yumanity closed a $45 million Series A to fund these efforts.

Total raised

$45M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Feb 2016