Judo kickstarts with $100M to develop genetic medicines that strike out kidney disease

Taking the mat is Judo Bio, an up-and-coming biotech armed with $100 million to develop oligonucleotide medicines targeting the kidney.

Instructing Judo is CEO Rajiv Patni, M.D., an industry vet who most recently served as chief R&D officer at Reata Pharmaceuticals until its $7.3 billion acquisition by Biogen in 2023. The leader has also held past roles at Global Blood Therapeutics, Roche and Pfizer, among others.

The newly emerged biotech was incubated by VC Atlas Venture and emerges now with $100 million in seed and series A money. Backers beyond Atlas include the Column Group and Droia Ventures, plus others, according to an Oct. 7 release.

The cash will be used to advance the biotech’s lead ligand-siRNA conjugate into the clinic and help expand its STRIKE (Selectively Targeting RNA Into KidnEy) platform. The company’s science is designed to deliver genetic medicines to the kidney—a historically difficult target for genetic meds due to its complex nature—in efforts to tackle systemic and renal diseases. 

Judo has wrapped up preclinical studies showing receptor-mediated oligonucleotide delivery to the kidney with ligand-siRNA conjugates that silence several target genes, according to the company.

The biotech’s initial programs use the megalin receptor family to deliver siRNA therapeutics that silence mRNA, subsequently reducing the presence of specific solute carrier proteins (SLCs). The proteins play a critical role in various physiological processes, contributing to the homeostasis of amino acids, electrolytes, glucose and other metabolites. 

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech includes a team of “bona-fide experts in oligonucleotide science and therapeutics, as well as company creation,” CEO Patni said in the release.

Joining Patni is Alfica Sehgal, Ph.D., Judo’s chief scientific officer and an entrepreneur-in-residence at Atlas Venture. Sehgal has been involved in RNA and siRNA work at both CAMP4 Therapeutics and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.

Alnylam founder and former CEO John Maraganore, Ph.D., is also circling Judo's mat as an advisor.

“The promise of renally-targeted oligonucleotide medicines has been a long-standing challenge,” Maraganore said in the release. “With Judo Bio’s discovery of novel ligands that result in oligonucleotide delivery to specific kidney cells, diseases that were intractable to this approach may now be within reach.”

The biotech was founded by Atlas Venture partner Steven Robinette, Ph.D., along with Andrew Fraley, Ph.D., and Chelsea Place Johnson, Ph.D.