Alys Pharmaceuticals launches with $100M financing from Medicxi to advance Immuno-Dermatology focused pipeline

• Co-founded by world leading dermatology experts and Medicxi
• Merger of six asset-centric companies to form a new R&D-centric multi-platform pipeline in immuno-dermatology to harness cutting edge-science and technologies
• Vision to transform the treatment paradigm for several dermatology indications of significant prevalence and major unmet need

BOSTON and GENEVA, Switzerland, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Alys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Alys”), an immuno-dermatology focused company, launches today with an R&D pipeline enabled by multiple platform technologies and a $100 million financing by Medicxi. Originating from the aggregation of six asset-centric Medicxi companies, Alys boasts a robust pipeline of innovative programs and platforms targeting multiple dermatological indications.

Co-founded by Medicxi and several world leading dermatology and scientific experts, including John Harris (UMass Chan Medical School), Brian Kim (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Lars French (LMU, Munich), Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello (UMass Chan Medical School), Eric Deutsch (Gustave Roussy) and Mark Prausnitz (Georgia Institute of Technology), Alys aspires to redefine the landscape of dermatological treatments. The Company is run by co-founder and COO Thibaud Portal (formerly Galderma’s Global Head of Prescription Medicines) and Medicxi’s Francesco De Rubertis serves as Chairman of the Board.

Alys believes that emerging indications such as atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, alopecia areata and chronic spontaneous urticaria, will see the next breakthroughs in dermatological advancements. The pipeline also includes programs focused on underserved indications such as mastocytosis, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma or prevention of skin side effects of oncology therapies.

Alys is working with leading institutions such as Institut Gustave Roussy, UMass Chan Medical School, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Georgia Institute of Technology and Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology, demonstrating its commitment to collaborative research and development.

Alys combines the assets and platforms of Aldena Therapeutics, Graegis Pharmaceuticals, Granular Therapeutics, Klirna Biotech, Nira Biosciences and Vimela Therapeutics. With more than a dozen active programs, Alys anticipates further organic pipeline growth from its cutting-edge platforms, covering inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, dermatology supportive care for cancer patients and rare dermatoses. Over the next three years, the company aims to deliver between seven to ten clinical Proof-of-Concept (POC) readouts, and potentially at least one program to advance to registrational studies.

Francesco De Rubertis, Chairman of Alys Pharmaceuticals and Partner at Medicxi commented: “We believe that bringing together several asset-centric companies with a phenomenal team will power up Alys to transform innovation in immuno-dermatology. Alys manages a broad pipeline of assets with diverse risk profiles and will hugely benefit from this change of scale and facilitated access to capital.”

Professor John Harris, Chief Innovation Officer of Alys Pharmaceuticals and Chair of Dermatology at UMass Chan Medical School, added: “It is uniquely exciting to oversee such a rich and diverse pipeline, bringing forward modalities that will break new ground in dermatology, including peptides, sophisticated antibodies, or vectorized siRNA.”

Professor Brian Kim, Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, added: “With its diverse pipeline, Alys’ commitment to advancing the frontiers of immuno-dermatology has the potential to bring transformative solutions to patients worldwide.”

About Alys Pharmaceuticals

Alys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Alys”) is a Boston and Geneva-based cutting edge pure-play immuno-dermatology company. Alys is backed by international investment firm Medicxi with $100M financing. Alys has a world class leadership team that brings together experts across dermatology and advanced scientific fields, including co-founders Craig Mello (UMass Chan Medical School), John Harris (UMass Chan Medical School), Brian Kim (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Lars French (LMU, Munich), Eric Deutsch (Gustave Roussy) and Mark Prausnitz (Georgia Institute of Technology). Alys is led by dermatology specialist, co-founder and COO Thibaud Portal. 

It was formed from the aggregation of 6 asset-centric Medicxi companies – Aldena Therapeutics, Graegis Pharmaceuticals, Granular Therapeutics, Klirna Biotech, Nira Biosciences and Vimela Therapeutics. Its pipeline boasts 14 active programs, targeting multiple dermatological indications, including atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, psoriasis and mastocytosis. For further information, please visit www.alyspharma.com.  

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About Medicxi

Medicxi is a healthcare-focused investment firm with the mission to create and invest in companies across the full drug development continuum. Leveraging deep expertise in drug development and company creation spanning over two decades, Medicxi invests in early and late-stage therapeutics with a product vision that can fulfill a clear unmet medical need. For more information, please visit: www.medicxi.com.

COI Statement

Mount Sinai and Brian Kim, UMass Chan Medical School, Craig Mello and John Harris, Georgia Institute of Technology and Mark Prausnitz, Gustave Roussy and Eric Deutsch, Lars French have financial interests in Alys.

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