RA Capital leads $175 million round for Oak Hill Bio to revive Roche’s Angelman syndrome drug

RA Capital and other investors have committed $175 million to Oak Hill Bio, a new biotech aiming to revive a previously shelved experimental therapy for Angelman syndrome originally developed by Roche.

Oak Hill Bio will compete with Ultragenyx and Ionis, both of which already have Phase 3 trials underway for their own Angelman syndrome candidates, with Ultragenyx expecting results later this year.

The funding positions Oak Hill Bio to advance its molecule, which the company believes is superior, and underscores continued investor interest in rare-disease programs despite existing competition.