Athens-based biotech will use the financing to advance AT001, its lead therapeutic program targeting the LRRK2–FADD interaction, through a key in vivo efficacy study.
Athens, Greece — 21 September 2026 — Anacalypsis Therapeutics, a Greece-based biotechnology company developing differentiated therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, today announced the closing of a pre-seed financing led by Metavallon VC through its Brain Gain Fund.
The financing will support a key in vivo efficacy study of AT001 in a relevant preclinical model of LRRK2-associated Parkinson’s disease, with the aim of establishing in vivo proof of concept and informing AT001’s subsequent development path. It will also support the continued development of Anacalypsis’ broader pipeline of therapeutic and biomarker programs targeting disease-driving mechanisms in neurodegeneration.
AT001 is a stapled peptide designed to disrupt the LRRK2–FADD protein-protein interaction as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The program is initially being developed for Parkinson’s disease associated with pathogenic LRRK2 variants, providing a genetically and mechanistically defined patient population in which to establish proof of concept.
The company was co-founded by Alexia Polissidis, PhD, and Hardy Rideout, PhD, its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, respectively. Dr. Rideout is a long-standing researcher in the LRRK2 field and an editor of the reference volume Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) (Advances in Neurobiology, Springer). His laboratory first mapped the motif within LRRK2 through which the protein interacts with FADD and demonstrated that disrupting this interaction is neuroprotective — the scientific foundation for AT001’s therapeutic approach.
LRRK2 performs several distinct functions across separate structural domains, while clinical development of LRRK2-targeted therapies has largely focused on inhibiting its kinase activity. AT001 is instead a stapled peptide designed to selectively block the LRRK2–FADD protein-protein interaction, an interaction implicated in the death of dopaminergic neurons.
In May 2026, Biogen and Denali discontinued development of the LRRK2 kinase inhibitor BIIB122 in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease after the Phase 2b LUMA study failed to meet its primary and secondary endpoints despite more than 90% peripheral LRRK2 kinase inhibition. The outcome underscores the rationale for investigating additional disease-relevant functions of LRRK2 beyond kinase activity. By targeting a specific protein-protein interaction rather than LRRK2’s kinase activity, AT001 aims to preserve other LRRK2 functions while selectively interfering with a pathway implicated in dopaminergic neuronal death.
“This financing gives us the resources to advance AT001 through the key preclinical work ahead, and Metavallon’s conviction in building deep science from Greece makes them the right partner as we move forward,” said Alexia Polissidis, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Anacalypsis Therapeutics. “Our ambition extends beyond a single program: we are building a pipeline around differentiated, disease-relevant mechanisms with the potential to deliver new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.”
“Anacalypsis is translating world-class research to tackle one of medicine’s hardest problems,” said Demetris Iacovides, Partner at Metavallon VC. “We were particularly drawn to the strength of the underlying science, the team’s expertise in LRRK2 biology, and the opportunity to translate research originating in Greece into a potentially differentiated therapeutic approach. We are proud to lead this round and to back Alexia and Hardy as they take it into its next phase.”
“The upcoming work is designed to demonstrate, rather than assume, the link between the mechanism we target and the survival of dopaminergic neurons,” said Hardy Rideout, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Anacalypsis Therapeutics. “AT001 represents our first opportunity to translate this biology into a therapeutic strategy and establish proof of concept in vivo.”
About Anacalypsis Therapeutics
Anacalypsis Therapeutics is a Greece-based biotechnology company developing differentiated therapeutic strategies targeting disease-driving mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.
Its lead asset, AT001, is a stapled peptide that targets the LRRK2–FADD interaction implicated in Parkinson’s disease associated with pathogenic LRRK2 variants. Beyond AT001, Anacalypsis is building a broader therapeutic pipeline focused on differentiated approaches to neurodegenerative disease and is developing proprietary multi-protein biofluid biomarker technology that will support patient stratification and disease monitoring.
The company’s programs are supported by proprietary intellectual property and are being advanced through a network of academic and industry collaborations. Anacalypsis was co-founded by Alexia Polissidis, PhD, and Hardy Rideout, PhD.
Email: apolissidis@anacalypsistherapeutics.com | Website: www.anacalypsistherapeutics.com
About Metavallon VC and the Brain Gain Fund
Metavallon VC is a Greece-based venture capital firm that backs technology and life sciences founders at the pre-seed to seed+ stages, supporting ambitious entrepreneurs in building transformative businesses across multiple sectors and geographies. With over €70 million in capital under management, Metavallon VC has invested in more than 35 startups since 2018. This investment was made through the Brain Gain Fund, a €5 million pre-seed fund supporting Greek deep-tech and life sciences startups, university spin-outs, and diaspora founders who establish R&D or product teams in Greece.
Email: contactus@metavallon.vc or demetris@metavallon.vc | Website: www.metavallon.vc
