Latus Bio secures $42 million to launch Huntington’s disease gene therapy trial

Biotech startup Latus Bio announced it has raised $42 million to fund its first clinical trials, including a gene‑therapy program aimed at Huntington’s disease. The capital will be used to seek FDA permission and begin the trial in the coming months.

The company is also advancing a second candidate for CLN2 disease, a rare form of Batten disease that causes seizures, vision loss and cognitive decline. Latus expects to have initial clinical data from that program by the end of the year.

Latus Bio was founded by Beverly Davidson, who serves as chief scientific strategy officer at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The new funding positions the firm to move its Huntington’s disease therapy forward while addressing challenges that have slowed a more advanced competitor.