California-based Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on small-molecule therapies for neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases, has closed a USD 12 million Series A financing round led by Double Point Ventures, with participation from both new and existing investors.
The round was led by Double Point Ventures, whose partner Campbell Murray, M.D., will join Lighthouse's board of directors as part of the transaction. The company said proceeds will support advancement of its lead program, LHP588, and continued pipeline expansion. No details of previous funding rounds were included in the announcement.
LHP588 is an oral, once-daily small-molecule therapy targeting Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacterium associated with periodontal disease that has been increasingly implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and progression. Lighthouse is currently enrolling patients in the SPRING trial, a Phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating LHP588 in patients with P. gingivalis-positive mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. The trial is also supported by a USD 49.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, under award number R01AG088524.