Thanks to a $77.5M Se­ries B, Escient moves in­to the clin­ic with the first of its sen­so­ry re­cep­tor can­di­dates

A lit­tle over two years af­ter emerg­ing from stealth, Escient Phar­ma­ceu­ti­cals is back Mon­day with a new fundrais­ing round and their first clin­i­cal tri­al.

The San Diego-based biotech an­nounced a $77.5 mil­lion Se­ries B and a Phase I/Ib study for their EP547 pro­gram, which is aim­ing to treat the neu­ro­log­i­cal “itch” that can man­i­fest when bile and waste prod­ucts are backed up in the liv­er and kid­neys, re­spec­tive­ly. This would be the first in what CEO Alain Baron hopes is a long line of Mas-re­lat­ed G pro­tein-cou­pled re­cep­tor can­di­dates.

Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.

You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.

SIGN UP LOG IN BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER