Sudo raises $30M more to advance TYK2 inhibitor therapies to trials

Sudo Biosciences has secured an additional $30 million in funding to support the development of two TYK2 inhibitor therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological and skin conditions — and now is aiming to launch clinical trials later this year.

With a second close of its Series B financing round, the company brought the total amount raised to $147 million, which will contribute to advancing its treatment candidates into the clinic.

One is an orally available TYK2 inhibitor that’s designed to efficiently reach the brain and spinal cord and reduce neuroinflammation, a known contributor to many neurodegenerative diseases. According to Sudo, this inhibitor has the potential to improve treatment for relapsing and progressive forms of MS, as well as neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The company also is developing a TYK2 inhibitor that would be administered topically, or through the skin. This treatment candidate is being developed for psoriasis and other immune-mediated conditions that affect the skin.

“We are happy to partner with Sudo … and be a catalyst to enable the company to generate clinical data with these potential first and best-in-class brain-penetrant TYK2 inhibitors in multiple neuroinflammatory diseases,” Jonathan Behr, PhD, a partner of SV Health Investors, which participated in the funding, said in a Sudo press release.

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Additional financing raises total for Sudo to $147M this round

Tyrosine kinase 2, or TIK2, is an enzyme that mediates immune cell communication in a range of immune-mediated conditions. In MS, preclinical studies in mice have demonstrated that a loss of TIK2 reduces disease severity and the amount of immune cells that reach the brain and spinal cord.

However, most of the TYK2 inhibitor therapies developed to date are not very specific to the TYK2 enzyme and target other unwanted proteins. That can result in safety issues that may limit their clinical application.

Such potential limitations led Sudo to develop inhibitors that bind to a distinct domain of the enzyme, which is more specific to TYK2, increasing their selectivity and safety.

The Series B funding was co-led by Enavate Sciences and TPG, through its TPG Life Sciences Innovations and The Rise Fund. Other participants included Sanofi Ventures, Frazier Life Sciences, Surveyor Capital, Monograph Capital, Eventide Asset Management, and Velosity Capital.

They were joined by new investors Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF, an SV Health Investors Fund), Leaps by Bayer (the impact investment arm of Bayer AG), and UPMC Enterprise.

“We are pleased to welcome these new investors as they each offer unique strategic value which will be meaningful for Sudo as we advance our precision TYK2 inhibitors into the clinic,” said Scott Byrd, Sudo’s CEO.

“This further funding enhances our ability to optimize the development of our pipeline programs,” Byrd said.

We are pleased to welcome these new investors as they each offer unique strategic value which will be meaningful for Sudo as we advance our precision TYK2 inhibitors into the clinic.

Juergen Eckhardt, MD, head of Leaps by Bayer, called the new therapies “groundbreaking” and said they “have the potential to transform the landscape of autoimmune and neurologic diseases.”

“Sudo’s pursuit of best-in-class TYK2 therapeutics aligns perfectly with our leap to reverse autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation, thereby improving the lives of many patients who currently lack adequate treatment options,” Eckhardt said.

In January, Sudo announced that it had raised $116 million in the first part of the Series B financing. Since its founding in 2020, the company has obtained a total of $188 million in funding.

“Sudo’s TYK2 inhibitors have the potential to simplify treatment and improve outcomes in people with major neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases,” said Matthias Kleinz, PhD, UPMC Enterprises’ executive vice president of Translational Sciences Investments.

“Our partnership with Sudo will strive to accelerate the translation of encouraging scientific discovery into life-changing therapies for our patients,” Kleinz added.