Mirador Therapeutics Launches with $400 Million Aimed at Inflammatory and Fibrotic Diseases
A startup launched by former Prometheus Bioscience expects
By Alex Keown
Mirador Therapeutics launched with $400 million in hand and a focus on revolutionizing precision medicines for immune-mediated inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.
Helmed by former Prometheus Biosciences CEO Mark C. McKenna, the San Diego-based Mirador is focused on developing multiple therapeutic programs that leverage the company’s Mirador360 precision development engine. Mirador360 draws on recent breakthroughs in human genetics and cutting-edge data science, the company announced Thursday. The company aims to develop first-in-class or best-in-class precision medicines with Mirador260.
Mirador360 was designed to discover and validate genetic associations to immuno-fibrotic diseases, identify novel therapeutic targets and reveal target-target interactions. Additionally, Mirador360 is capable of identifying optimal target-target pairs for potential combination therapies. Mirador added that its platform will allow it to develop diagnostics and stratify heterogeneous patient populations for precise clinical development.
A mirador is an architectural term describing a turret, or tower that provides an uncompromised vantage point. That is the approach the Mirador Therapeutics leadership is taking. Mirador’s team will take its broad and extensive background in this area and leverage the power of its platform to develop new and improved therapies for this patient population. The Mirador leadership sees its technology platform driving a new era in precision medicine for people impacted by immune-mediated inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.
In addition to McKenna, Mirador’s leadership includes other executives from Prometheus Biosciences, which was acquired by Merck in 2023. Prometheus Biosciences was focused on the discovery and development of precision medicines for inflammation and immunology. At the center of the $10.8 billion deal was PRA023, Prometheus’ late-stage candidate for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. PRA023 is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed to tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A, a target associated with both intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.
“The industry has only scratched the surface of utilizing advances in human genetics – coupled with exponential progress in machine learning – to accelerate the development of precision therapies for patients who need them the most,” McKenna, who was recently appointed to the Spyre Therapeutics board of directors, said in a brief statement.“With a proven team, distinguished board of directors, leading healthcare investors and proprietary data-driven approach, we aim to create a leading precision medicine company at scale to provide important new treatment options for patients.”
Mirador’s launch was supported by financing from powerhouse VC companies ARCH Venture Partners, OrbiMed and Fairmount. Other investors include Fidelity Management & Research Company, Point72, Farallon Capital Management, Boxer Capital, TCGX, Invus, Logos Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities, Sanofi Ventures, Woodline Partners LP, Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, RTW Investments and Alexandria Venture Investments.