TORINO, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Resalis Therapeutics today announced its completion of the seed financing round of €10 million to establish a non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutic approach for the treatment of metabolic diseases. The funding will support the finalization of IND-enabling studies for the company’s lead program, RES-010, which Resalis will initially develop as a novel treatment for obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The financing was led by Claris Ventures, with participation from Italian Angels for Growth and Club degli Investitori. Concurrent with the round, Pietro Puglisi, Managing Partner at Claris Ventures, joins Resalis’ Board of Directors. The company has appointed Alessandro Toniolo, PhD, as CEO. He brings extensive experience in the life science and pharmaceutical sectors, ranging from drug development to heading marketing and sales teams at Pfizer and Novartis.
“At Resalis, we are tackling metabolic disorders with a cutting-edge ncRNA modality. This novel approach has been developed by the expertise of the Resalis founders, who are leading scientists in the field. Harnessing this in-depth know-how, we determined the central role of microRNA-22 (miR-22) in metabolic disorders and have developed a potent inhibitor of miR-22, designated as RES-010. We believe that RES-010 has the potential to become a safe, well tolerated and convenient treatment option for obesity and NAFLD,” said Alessandro Toniolo, CEO of Resalis Therapeutics. “This seed funding will accelerate the development of our lead candidate and provides an orthogonal approach to other therapeutics.”
Alessandro Toniolo will apply his pharmaceutical industry experience to advance the discoveries of Resalis’ scientific founders, Riccardo Panella, PhD, and Sakari Kauppinen, PhD from the Center for RNA Medicine, Aalborg University. Both have a deep understanding in the field of ncRNAs and RNA-targeted therapeutics in human health and metabolic disorders. Resalis’ lead candidate RES-10 is an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that targets miR-22, a central player in the regulation of lipid metabolism and energy consumption. In multiple proof-of-concept studies in rodents and non-human primates, RES-010 showed the potential to provide a safe and long-lasting therapeutic effect, alone or in combination with approved drugs. The company is now focused on IND-enabling studies to support a first-in-human clinical trial in early 2024.
“Resalis’ therapeutic approach is based on innovative science and has quickly led to the development of a lead candidate. With obesity and NAFLD, the company is addressing two indications with a high need for disease-modifying drugs that will provide sustained clinical benefit,” said Pietro Puglisi, Managing Partner at Claris Ventures and Chairman of the Board at Resalis Therapeutics.
About Resalis Therapeutics
Resalis Therapeutics’ transformative metabolic disease approach targets a master regulator of multiple pathways underlying obesity and fatty liver disease. The company is applying its profound understanding of the non-coding RNA drug modality and lipid metabolism to develop its lead program, RES-010, into a safe and convenient treatment providing disease-modifying therapeutic impact including durable weight loss and reduction of hepatic steatosis. Building on robust preclinical evidence, Resalis will rapidly bring RES-010 into clinical trials for a range of metabolic disorders.
For more information visit our website www.resalistherapeutics.com.
About Claris Ventures
Claris Ventures SGR is a venture capital firm based in Italy, founded in 2019. Its first fund under management, Claris Biotech I, is focused on early-stage investments in high potential biopharma companies arisen from the Italian R&D ecosystem – both local and international. The firm identifies and supports innovation in the pharmaceutical space, investing in new companies with transformational drugs under development. It aims at the highest impact possible on highly unmet patients need, building value around strong science. Claris Ventures SGR pursuit for high potential projects involves every research center, clinical structure and company in the Italian life sciences network, whether the founding team is based in Italy or it includes Italian scientists abroad who have strong links with Italy.
