Led by ex-Afferent execs, CuraSen raises $54.5M series A

Neurodegenerative disease company CuraSen Therapeutics Inc. (San Mateo, Calif.) raised $54.5 million in a series A round on Oct. 17 led by New Leaf Venture Partners. Also participating were Longitude Capital, funds managed by Tekla Capital, Alta Partners, Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc. and Pappas Capital.

CuraSen's team includes Executive Chair Kathleen Sereda Glaub and CEO Anthony Ford. Glaub was CEO at Afferent Pharmaceuticals Inc., while Ford was its co-founder and CSO. New Leaf invested in Afferent, which developed a therapy for chronic cough; Merck & Co. Inc (NYSE:MRK) acquired Afferent in 2016 for $500 million up front...