Akouos
Gene therapy company developing treatments for hearing loss caused by genetic mutations. Acquired by Eli Lilly in December 2022 for $610 million.
Location
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Founded
2016
Investors
1
Categories
gene-therapy, biotech, hearing-loss, rare-disease, acquired
Notes
Akouos was a precision genetic medicine company dedicated to developing gene therapies to restore, improve, and preserve hearing for people living with disabling hearing loss. The company focused on inner ear gene therapies targeting monogenic forms of sensorineural hearing loss.
Acquired by Eli Lilly in December 2022 for approximately $610 million ($12.50 per share). The acquisition was part of Lilly's strategy to expand into genetic medicines. Akouos's lead program, AK-OTOF, targets otoferlin gene mutations causing congenital deafness.
Team
- Manny Simons, Ph.D. - Co-founder & Former CEO
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mannysimons
- Luk Vandenberghe, Ph.D. - Scientific Co-founder (Harvard/Mass Eye and Ear)
- Chris Loose, Ph.D. - Former Chief Scientific Officer
Additional Research Findings
- Spun out of research from Massachusetts Eye and Ear / Harvard Medical School
- Backed by 5AM Ventures, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), and others
- IPO in 2020 on Nasdaq (ticker: AKUS)
- Lead program AK-OTOF for otoferlin deficiency (DFNB9)
- AAV-based gene therapy platform optimized for inner ear delivery
- Headquarters: 645 Summer Street, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02210
- Now operating as part of Eli Lilly
Sources
Investors
| Name | Location | Type | Stages | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5AM Ventures | Menlo Park, USA | biotech-focused | seedseries-a+1 | 8 |