Loading organizations...
§ Private Profile · Cambridge, MA, USA
Was a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing endogenous metabolic modulator therapies for metabolic diseases and Long COVID.
Axcella has raised $163.8M across 5 funding rounds.
Key people at Axcella.
Axcella has raised $163.8M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Axcella was a clinical-stage biotechnology company that developed endogenous metabolic modulators to treat complex conditions such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and Long COVID. The pre-commercial enterprise raised over $100 million in venture capital funding before completing a $71 million initial public offering on the NASDAQ exchange in 2019. Operating under the leadership of former Chief Executive Officer Bill Hinshaw, the firm advanced its primary pipeline asset, AXA1125, through Phase 2a clinical trials. Following an inability to secure additional financing, the organization executed an 85 percent workforce reduction that decreased its headcount from approximately 100 employees to near zero. Stockholders officially approved the complete liquidation and dissolution of the business in late 2024. Axcella was originally founded in 2008 by Noubar Afeyan and David Berry alongside the venture creation firm Flagship Pioneering.
Axcella has raised $163.8M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $59.0M Series E in October 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2018 | $59M Series E | — | Catalio Capital, Flagship Ventures, Daniel Lynch, Petri, Third Rock Ventures | Announced |
| Feb 23, 2016 | $42.5M Venture Round | Greg Behar | — | Announced |
| May 1, 2015 | $39M Series C | Fidelity Management & Research Company | Catalio Capital, Flagship Ventures, Daniel Lynch, Petri, Third Rock Ventures, Flagship Ventures | Announced |
| Feb 14, 2014 | $12.3M Series B | Flagship Pioneering | — | Announced |
| Oct 1, 2013 | $11M Series A | Flagship Ventures, Flagship Ventures | Catalio Capital, Daniel Lynch, Petri, Third Rock Ventures | Announced |
Key people at Axcella.
Axcella has raised $163.8M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Axcella's investors include Catalio Capital, Flagship Ventures, Daniel Lynch, Petri, Third Rock Ventures, Greg Behar, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Flagship Pioneering.
Axcella Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AXLA) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing compositions of endogenous metabolic modulators (EMMs)—the body's own biological molecules engineered in specific combinations—to reprogram metabolism, restore cellular homeostasis, and treat complex diseases like Long COVID fatigue, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and hepatic encephalopathy (OHE).[1][2][3] Its lead candidate, AXA1125, targets metabolic imbalances in liver and muscle tissues, serving patients with unmet needs in metabolic disorders through non-IND studies or full trials, with Phase 2 data showing statistically significant fatigue improvements in Long COVID.[3][4] Following a 2023 reprioritization amid capital constraints, Axcella streamlined to focus on Long COVID and NASH, building on early traction in muscle atrophy and liver programs.[4][6]
Founded in 2011 by Flagship Pioneering, a prolific biotech incubator, Axcella emerged from the insight that diseases stem from imbalances in biological processes across tissues, addressable by novel EMM combinations to safely modulate metabolism—unachievable with existing therapies.[1] Flagship's systems biology approach, leveraging machine learning, drove the platform's creation, with early milestones including patents on EMM compositions (2019) and preclinical data on muscle atrophy attenuation via AXA2678.[1][2] Leadership evolved with additions like CEO Bill Hinshaw and CMO Margaret Koziel, MD, fueling Phase 2 advancements in liver (AXA1125, AXA1957) and OHE candidates by 2021, before pivoting to high-potential Long COVID in response to promising trial results.[2][4][6]
Axcella rides the wave of precision metabolism therapeutics, targeting systemic dysregulation in chronic conditions amid rising Long COVID (affecting millions post-pandemic) and NASH epidemics driven by metabolic syndrome.[3][4] Timing aligns with advances in systems biology and AI-driven drug design, enabling EMMs to address multifactorial diseases where monotherapies fail, influenced by post-COVID health crises and regulatory openness to novel modulators.[1][2][4] By pioneering endogenous molecules, Axcella influences biotech ecosystems through Flagship's model—accelerating from concept to clinic—and contributes to non-oncology metabolic innovation, potentially expanding to anemia and muscle wasting amid a $100B+ liver disease market.[1][6]
Axcella's reprioritized focus on AXA1125 positions it for a potential registration trial in Long COVID fatigue, with U.S./EU regulator dialogues underway and scalability to NASH/sickle cell via its efficient platform.[4][6] Trends like AI-optimized multi-omics and post-pandemic chronic fatigue markets will propel growth, though funding remains key amid biotech volatility. Its influence may evolve from pioneer to category leader if Phase 2/3 data confirms EMMs' transformative potential, redefining metabolic health one endogenous modulator at a time.[3][4]
