Aclaris Therapeutics leverages its KINect® platform to discover covalent kinase inhibitors and dual‑targeting bispecific antibodies that modulate key inflammatory signaling pathways. It advances oral, topical, and biologic candidates for immuno‑inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, COPD, and inflammatory bowel disease, and provides licensing and co‑development partnerships to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Funding
$80M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
VCFounders
Product
Problem
Patients with immuno‑inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata, vitiligo, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, COPD, and inflammatory bowel disease often face limited therapeutic options, suboptimal efficacy, and safety concerns, creating significant unmet medical needs.
Solution
Aclaris Therapeutics applies its proprietary KINect® platform and biologics expertise to discover and develop small‑molecule kinase inhibitors and monoclonal/bispecific antibodies that target key signaling pathways driving chronic inflammation. By focusing on covalent cysteine‑targeted chemistries and dual‑targeting antibody designs, the company accelerates lead identification and generates candidates with improved selectivity and safety profiles. Aclaris advances these investigational drugs through preclinical and clinical programs, while offering partnership and licensing opportunities to expand development and commercialization pathways for underserved immuno‑inflammatory indications.
Target Audience
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking novel kinase‑targeted or antibody‑based therapies for immuno‑inflammatory diseases, as well as clinical research teams focused on advancing treatments for these underserved conditions.
Features
- KINect® platform: a curated library of several hundred covalent kinase inhibitors targeting non‑catalytic cysteine residues across >300 kinases, enabling lead discovery in 1–2 months versus traditional timelines.
- Dual‑targeting bispecific antibodies (e.g., anti‑TSLP/anti‑IL4R) engineered for enhanced half‑life via FcRn binding.
- Oral covalent ITK/JAK3 inhibitor (ATI‑2138) that simultaneously modulates T‑cell receptor signaling and common‑γ‑chain cytokine pathways.
- Soft‑topical JAK1/JAK3 inhibitor (Lepzacitinib) designed for high skin exposure with rapid systemic clearance to minimize systemic toxicity.
- Oral MK2 pathway inhibitor (Zunsemetinib) addressing metastatic breast cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through modulation of pro‑tumorigenic cytokine production.
- Investigational anti‑TSLP monoclonal antibody (Bosakitug) with high affinity and long residence time for severe asthma, CRSwNP, atopic dermatitis, and COPD.
- Integrated drug discovery services via Confluence Discovery Technologies, providing contract research capabilities in enzymology, biomarker development, in‑vivo models, and medicinal chemistry.
- Structured partnership model offering licensing, co‑development, and research collaborations for both small‑molecule and biologic programs.