Moonwalk Biosciences is a genomic medicine startup that aims to provide a new class of precision epigenetic therapeutics. The company is working on the development of a profiling and engineering technology platform that, with the help of advanced artificial intelligence prediction, provides a comprehensive view of the epigenome in health and disease, allowing healthcare providers to take a fresh look at how therapies are discovered and developed.

Moonwalk Biosciences is an early-stage therapeutics company co-founded by Dr. Feng Zhang and leading experts in cell state epigenetics including Alex Aravanis, the former CTO of Illumina. The company has developed a differentiated approach to mapping the epigenome of cellular states at the whole genome, single cell resolution level, as well as proprietary strategies for precise epigenetic engineering. The combination enables both a novel discovery platform and a path to developing therapeutics that include both epigenetic engineering and other traditional modalities.

Moonwalk Biosciences

We’re excited to announce the launch of Moonwalk Biosciences, a genomic medicine company pioneering precision epigenetic medicines, with $57 million in financing from Alpha Wave Global, ARCH Venture Partners, Future Ventures, GV (Google Ventures), Khosla Ventures and YK Bioventures.

By targeting the epigenetic code – the software of the genome – Moonwalk aims to reprogram cells to their healthy state, fundamentally enabling a new approach to how therapies are discovered and developed. Moonwalk is the first company that couples an epigenetic discovery platform with precise engineering – opening up the epigenome as a new target space for complex diseases.

Learn more here: https://moonwalk.bio/

Read our press release: https://lnkd.in/gcuF7Umy

More info about us in: 
WSJ: https://lnkd.in/e5_6R2y2
STAT: https://lnkd.in/eViTRJqE
Endpoints News: https://lnkd.in/eSySAyWd
Biopharma Dive: https://lnkd.in/ei8wKM2n

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News speaks with CEO Alex Aravanis MD PhD for the Touching Base podcast. 🧬🧬

Thanks Uduak Grace Thomas for taking the time to speak with us about #epigenetic #engineering and Moonwalk. 

Listen here:
👇👇

https://lnkd.in/eXJN5k2M

Join our CEO Alex Aravanis MD PhD next week at #JPM24.

He will be on a panel on #AI and #MachineLearning next Tuesday Jan 9th at 9 am PT at #BiotechShowcase. 

AI & Machine Learning: Disrupting and Inspiring
Location: Imperial Ballroom, Hilton Union Square SF 

The disruption and innovation of AI is coming and along with it the big tech players who have driven AI in other industries and areas. This panel of experts will discuss how AI is impacting the world of healthcare today and what we can expect in 2024 and beyond.

Moderator: Beth Rogozinski, CEO, Oncoustics
Panelists: Abraham Heifets, CEO, Atomwise
                Alex Aravanis MD PhD, CEO, Moonwalk Biosciences
                Andrei Georgescu, Ph.D., CEO, Vivodyne
                Kurt Thorn, VP, ArrePath

More information about the event: 
https://lnkd.in/eZaESEs

Thanks NYSE for celebrating our $57M funding and coming out of stealth launch with us! 🎉🎉🎉

We’d like to thank all our supporters, our team of #Moonwalkers, our investors and advisors. 🌖🌗🌘

Read our release:

https://lnkd.in/gcuF7Umy

Thanks FirstWord Pharma and Elizabeth Eaton for speaking with our CEO Alex Aravanis MD PhD today about our launch and coming out of stealth!

Mapping methylation

While traditional gene editing usually involves cutting, nicking, or removing DNA sections, epigenetics regulate whether a gene is “on” or “off” without physically changing the DNA itself. Moonwalk aims to modify gene expressions associated with disease by modulating the methylation patterns that determine cell states. 

In an interview with FirstWord, Aravanis, Moonwalk’s CEO, said methylation acts as a kind of switch that determines which genes are allowed to be expressed, and which ones aren’t. “This is the single most important thing which controls which of many genes in the genome hardware are going to be used in any particular cell,” he said. 

Read the full article: 

https://lnkd.in/eWVUmXE8

Thrilled to welcome Alex Aravanis MD PhD and the Moonwalk Biosciences team to the KV portfolio! 🎉

Moonwalk is using epigenetics - "the software of the genome" - to treat various diseases.

https://lnkd.in/gXCukZEJ

Thanks Ron Leuty San Francisco Business Times for speaking with our CEO Alex Aravanis MD PhD about our $57M funding announcement today. 

Read the article: (subscription required)

https://lnkd.in/epRs_QvE

Welcome to the portfolio, Moonwalk Biosciences, Alex Aravanis MD PhD, Arash Jamshidi, and Justin Valley! 🎉

Moonwalk aims to reprogram cells to their healthy state with epigenetic editing, a new approach that enables scientists to restore diseased cells — https://on.wsj.com/3RJRDsd

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News speaks with our CEO Alex Aravanis MD PhD about #epigenetic #engineering. Listen to their podcast tomorrow which will feature segments of the interview!

Read the article:
👇👇👇

https://lnkd.in/euBqn8dP

Endpoints News covers our launch today - thanks Ayisha Sharma for taking the time to explain what #epigenetics is to readers, and what we think the future will hold. 

Moonwalk’s take on drug development centers on epigenetics, which Aravanis described as “the software of the genome” in a company release. Epigenetics is the process through which environmental stimuli affect gene expression.

The biotech’s platform uses AI-powered predictions of epigenetic targets and epigenetic engineering tools to map the epigenome and discover new epigenetic drug candidates. The engineering tools use the cell’s natural regulation system to control several genes in a single step without changing or damaging the DNA sequence, a risk inherent to gene editing technologies such as CRISPR.

Aravanis told Endpoints that Moonwalk has a thorough understanding of methylation states at the single-cell level in every major T cell subset, which has led to its discovery of new targets for immunotherapy and autoimmune conditions. More broadly, the company is focused on treating complex diseases with a high unmet need across a range of therapeutic areas.

Read the article: 

https://lnkd.in/eDpeaaWq

BIO:MOONWALK

Moonwalk Biosciences, Inc

Analysis Not Available