Nilo Therapeutics Raises $101 Million Series A Led by The Column Group, DCVC Bio, and Lux Capital to Advance Neuro-Immune Drug Platform
Nilo Therapeutics, a New York-based biotechnology company that aims to harness neural circuits to restore immune homeostasis, has successfully closed a US $101 million Series A financing round. The round was co-led by The Column Group (TCG), DCVC Bio and Lux Capital with participation from the Gates Foundation and Alexandria Venture Investments.
Founded by distinguished scientists Charles Zuker (Columbia University), Ruslan Medzhitov (Yale University) and Steve Liberles (Harvard University), Nilo is built on seminal neuro-immunology research showing how specific vagal-nerve circuits in the brainstem regulate systemic inflammation. The company’s platform seeks to translate those discoveries into medicines that modulate immune-system function via neural control, rather than focusing on individual immune pathways.
According to the company’s announcement, the new funding will be used to build its R&D laboratories in New York City, expand its interdisciplinary research and development team, and advance its preclinical portfolio. Nilo emphasises that its strategy is to move beyond conventional immunosuppression and target neural circuits that act as master regulators of inflammation across a wide array of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Investor confidence is strong given the round’s size and the calibre of participants: The Column Group, DCVC Bio and Lux Capital are well-known life-sciences venture investors, while the Gates Foundation and Alexandria Venture Investments bring strategic interest in next-generation immunology and neural-circuit-driven therapeutic models. Twelve-figure funding in an early-stage biotech underscores belief both in the science and the leadership team.
The financing comes at a time when interest is growing in the brain–immune axis and how neuromodulatory systems might be drug targets. Nilo’s founding team leveraged academic work identifying neuronal populations that can dial immune responses up or down—work that challenges the traditional model of treating downstream immune effectors. Nilo claims its approach may allow broader, more durable modulation of immunity with fewer compensatory resistance mechanisms.
Nevertheless, as with any pre-clinical biotech, the company faces significant execution challenges. Translating neural-circuit and immunology breakthroughs into safe and effective human therapies is uncharted territory. Nilo must validate its targets in animal models, confirm that central nervous-system interventions safely modulate peripheral immune response, identify biomarkers of engagement, and chart a clear regulatory pathway. Commercialisation will also require careful indication selection and partnerships.
The company’s flagship ambition is to treat diseases characterised by neutrophil- and immune-dysregulation—ranging potentially from autoimmune conditions and inflammatory disorders to organ-specific inflammation. By targeting upstream in the neuro-immune hierarchy, Nilo hopes to avoid some of the limiting factors seen in cytokine-blockade therapies, such as resistance, compensatory pathways, and limited population response.
The recent funding coup positions Nilo to build its infrastructure, accelerate research timelines, and prepare for the next developmental milestones: moving some pre-clinical candidates toward IND-enabling studies, structuring early-stage trials, and building partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. It also gives the company runway to recruit top talent across neuroscience, immunology, pharmacology and translational medicine.
As Nilo begins its journey from stealth to active development, the biotech industry will be watching whether this bold neuro-circuit-modulation strategy translates into meaningful therapeutic outcomes. If successful, Nilo could redefine how immune disease is treated—by leveraging the body’s own brain-immune communication channels rather than relying solely on immune suppression.
