Light Horse Therapeutics has secured $62 million in Series A financing and entered into a collaboration with Novartis. This positions the company as a player in small molecule drug discovery.
Light Horse's approach, called "function-first," prioritizes the identification of functional domains before chemical screening.
The Series A financing was led by Versant Ventures, with participation from Mubadala Capital, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Taiho Ventures, and AbbVie.
The collaboration with Novartis includes an upfront payment of $25 million and the potential to earn up to $1 billion through research and development milestones and sales royalties. The partnership aims to leverage Light Horse's platform technology to develop first-in-class therapeutics, particularly in oncology.
Light Horse's platform integrates precision genome editing techniques to discover functional domains within disease-relevant targets. The company's initial focus is on oncology targets but plans to expand into other therapeutic areas.
CEO Markus Renschler, along with esteemed co-founders and the appointment of Laure Escoubet as chief scientific officer, strengthens the company's scientific foundation.
The collaboration with Novartis provides financial support and access to resources and expertise. Light Horse Therapeutics aims to redefine the future of drug discovery and development.