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Hemispheric emerged from stealth with $52 million to develop AI-powered precision psychiatry, while Eli Lilly announced its $3.8 billion acquisition of AtaiBeckley to advance next-generation depression treatments. New Alzheimer's gene therapy data and research linking long sleep duration with Alzheimer's biomarkers also highlight a week of major breakthroughs.
Big news this week from one of our earliest investments: Hemispheric.
The company finally emerged from stealth with $52 million in funding to develop precision medicines for psychiatric disorders using artificial intelligence and human genetics.
Rather than pursuing one-size-fits-all treatments, the company aims to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from specific therapies, bringing the precision medicine approach that has transformed oncology to mental health.
Along with JLS Fund, other early investors include: Hanaco Ventures ($2 billion in assets under management), Arkin Capital (more than $2 billion in assets under management), and L Catterton (approximately $40 billion in assets under management).
Check it out: https://substack.com/home/post/p-207173751.
Eli Lilly agreed to acquire psychedelics company AtaiBeckley in a deal worth up to $3.8 billion, marking the pharmaceutical giant's entry into the rapidly emerging psychedelic medicine market.
The acquisition gives Lilly access to BPL-003, an intranasal synthetic 5-MeO-DMT therapy currently in late-stage development for treatment-resistant depression, as well as a broader pipeline of rapid-acting neuroplastogens for mental health disorders.
Lilly will pay $2.8 billion upfront and up to $1 billion in milestone payments tied to clinical and regulatory achievements, further expanding its neuroscience portfolio beyond traditional antidepressants.
Here’s more: https://ir.ataibeckley.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-acquire-ataibeckley-advance-therapies-treatment-resistant.
Voyager Therapeutics announced new preclinical data showing that a single intravenous dose of its experimental Alzheimer's gene therapy, VY1706, was well tolerated in non-human primates over a six-month study.
The treatment reduced tau protein levels by up to 75% in key brain regions associated with Alzheimer's disease, supporting its potential as a one-time therapy. The company received FDA clearance for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application in June and expects to begin dosing patients with early Alzheimer's disease in a Phase 1 clinical trial during the second half of 2026. Check it out: https://substack.com/home/post/p-206950682.
Did you know that long sleep hours have been linked to elevated levels of phosphorylated tau 181, a hallmark diagnostic protein of Alzheimer’s pathology?
A new study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, found that people who regularly sleep 8½ hours or more per night tend to have higher blood levels of p-tau181.
The relationship was found to be especially pronounced among those sleeping more than 10 hours, suggesting that unusually long sleep duration may be an early sign of neurodegenerative changes rather than simply a lifestyle habit. Researchers analyzed data from 2,410 adults and emphasized that the findings show an association, not that long sleep causes Alzheimer's. Here’s more: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.71499.
