Korsana’s lead program uses a next-generation shuttling technology to improve delivery into the brain and lower the incidence of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities.
Korsana Biosciences has launched, aiming to advance a next-generation anti-amyloid antibody to compete in the crowded Alzheimer’s disease space with $150 million in series A capital.
The startup’s lead asset is a monoclonal antibody called KRSA-028, which binds to amyloid plaques to facilitate their clearance, according to a Wednesday news release. KRSA-028 uses proprietary technology to improve its delivery to the brain, and was also specifically designed to minimize amyloid-related imaging abnormalities—a key stumbling block of many Alzheimer’s therapies.
KRSA-028 is currently in IND-enabling development, according to the biotech’s website. Wednesday’s series A proceeds will be enough to keep Korsana going into 2028—and crucially, past key clinical milestones, including initial safety and pharmacokinetic results in mid-2027 and proof-of-concept data by the end of that year.
The startup is also working on a couple of other preclinical assets, all using its proprietary delivery technology, to address various yet-undisclosed neurodegenerative disorders.
“Only two disease-modifying therapies have been approved to treat Alzheimer’s, and both carry safety warnings, offer only modest efficacy, and impose a high burden of care,” Korsana CEO Jonathan Violin said in a statement, adding that KRSA-028 could offer a “best-in-class” experience to these patients. Prior to leading Korsana, Violin served as CEO for Viridian Therapeutics, Dianthus Therapeutics and Quellis Biosciences.
Korsana is backed by a high-profile group of investors, including Sanofi Ventures, J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital and Foresite Capital. Its $25 million seed funding in 2024 came from Fairmount and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners.
Korsana is looking to stand out in a crowded field. Those two approved drugs are Biogen and Eisai’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla. But there are many companies looking to join the fray, each leveraging a novel mechanism of action or utilizing more advanced modalities.
One of these is Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, with its RNAi therapy ARO-MAPT that targets the tau protein—a notable distinction from the dominant amyloid-focused approach. Instead of targeting the tau protein, ARO-MAPT binds to tau mRNA and suppresses its expression in neurons. ARO-MAPT, dosed subcutaneously, is in a Phase I/IIa study with data expected in the back half of this year.
Alector Therapeutics, meanwhile, is taking an approach closer to Korsana’s, advancing an anti-amyloid antibody using a next-generation brain delivery technology. The asset, dubbed AL137, targets certain receptors on the blood-brain barrier to penetrate into the brain. AL137 is currently in preclinical development.
