BRIEF—Axial Biotherapies raises funds to support neuro programs

US biotech Axial Biotherapeutics today announced the completion of a $25 million series B equity financing.

New investor Seventure Partners, via its microbiome-focused fund Health for Life Capital, led the financing along with existing investors Longwood Fund, Domain Associates, Heritage Medical Systems and a group of high net worth individuals based in Southern California.

The new funding will be used to advance Axial’s programs in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), both of which include small molecules targeting the gut-brain axis.

Axial’s PD program, which evaluates organisms and genes over-represented in the PD gut- microbiome, has resulted in the identification of a pathway that is sufficient to induce motor and GI symptoms and brain pathology in a validated, preclinical PD model.

Axial’s program in ASD is focused on research which demonstrates that reducing systemic and brain exposure to problematic microbial metabolites may improve core and non-core ASD symptoms related to behavior and gut health.