LoQus23 Therapeutics is a Cambridge, UK biotech founded in 2019 that designs oral small‑molecule inhibitors of somatic repeat expansion by targeting Mismatch Repair proteins (MutSα and MutSβ). The company has established a platform of assays and a small‑molecule series against MutSα/MutSβ, with an allosteric MutSβ inhibitor as its lead programme. That lead programme is being advanced through preclinical development with plans to enter the clinic in 2026. LoQus23 positions its approach as a potentially disease‑modifying therapy for Huntington's disease and up to 30 triplet repeat disorders, aiming to slow or halt somatic expansion and downstream neurodegeneration. The company notes there are roughly 30,000 Huntington's patients in the US as context for the unmet need. LoQus23 emphasizes a structure‑based approach to enable oral dosing and claims convenience advantages over other modalities. Its leadership includes founders Dr David Reynolds, Dr Caroline Benn, and Dr Ruth McKernan, and the team claims world‑class scientific expertise. LoQus23 Therapeutics is a Cambridge, UK–based biotech discovering oral small-molecule therapies that target aberrant DNA mismatch repair to treat Huntington’s disease and other triplet repeat disorders. Its core approach is to modulate MMR proteins to stop DNA instability and thereby slow neurodegeneration in triplet repeat disorders. The company aims to identify a small-molecule drug candidate against its lead MMR target and to explore other MMR proteins' roles in somatic instability. LoQus23 was founded in 2019 by members of the Dementia Discovery Fund, including Dr David Reynolds, Dr Caroline Benn, and Dr Ruth McKernan. It recently closed an extended £7m seed financing to advance candidate identification and programme expansion. Management positions its oral small-molecule strategy as a potential disease-modifying approach for Huntington’s and related disorders.

Total raised

$56M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Oct 2024