EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prolynx, a biotechnology company developing a next-generation portfolio of ultra-long-acting medicines for obesity and related metabolic conditions, today announced the closing of a $70 million Series A financing and the appointment of industry veteran Chris Boulton as Chief Executive Officer. The financing was co-led by 5AM Ventures and OrbiMed, along with Monograph Capital. The capital will be used to advance Prolynx’s proprietary pipeline of extended-duration incretin and non-incretin therapies designed to enable monthly and quarterly dosing towards IND enablement and clinical proof-of-concept.
The Company’s approach to half-life extension utilizes a proprietary technology that has previously demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept in oncology, providing a de-risked foundation for the development of optimized, ultra-long-acting peptide therapeutics specifically engineered for obesity and related metabolic diseases.
Redefining the Standard of Care
“Current GLP1-based therapies have revolutionized obesity treatment, yet they still require weekly administration, and patients often experience significant tolerability issues due to suboptimal pharmacokinetics,” said Chris Boulton. “By leveraging insights from our foundational platform, we are developing a portfolio of once-monthly and once-quarterly medicines designed to improve adherence, tolerability, and outcomes for patients. I look forward to working with Dan Santi, the team, and our high-quality investor syndicate to bring these highly differentiated assets to the clinic.”
Boulton brings more than 25 years of global pharmaceutical leadership experience, with a specialized focus on the commercialization of metabolic and obesity therapies. Most recently, he served as Vice President and Global Marketing Therapy Area Head for Obesity at Amgen. Prior to Amgen, he spent nearly a decade at Sanofi, where he served as General Manager of the U.S. Diabetes business, managing a $1 billion portfolio and a team of 400. His background also includes significant tenure at AstraZeneca, where he served as Head of the Cardiovascular/Metabolic Business Unit (UK) and led the first global launch of the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin (Forxiga). Mr. Boulton holds extensive expertise in global product launches, P&L management, and strategic business transformation across the US, Europe, and Asia.
Syndicate of Top-Tier Investors
The Series A financing brings together a syndicate of premier biotech investors committed to addressing the unmet need of long-term adherence and persistence in metabolic disease. In conjunction with the financing, Kush Parmar, MD, PhD, Managing Partner, 5AM Ventures, Peter Thompson, MD, General Partner, OrbiMed, and Fred Cohen, MD, DPhil, Partner and Chairman, Monograph Capital, have joined the Prolynx Board of Directors alongside David Martin, MD, CEO, Pylum Biosciences, being appointed as independent board member.
“We invested in Prolynx because they have the leading technology to enable monthly and quarterly dosing, which we believe is the future of the obesity market,” said Kush Parmar, M.D., Ph.D., Managing Partner at 5AM Ventures. “This is not just a platform; it is a product engine. With Chris’s commercial and operational leadership now paired with the team’s deep scientific expertise, Prolynx is uniquely positioned to build a high-value portfolio of category-leading assets.”
Scientific Leadership
Prolynx was founded by Daniel Santi, M.D., Ph.D., and Gary Ashley, Ph.D., who have spent over a decade refining the chemistry of sustained drug release. Dr. Santi will continue to lead the company’s research efforts as Chief Technical and Scientific Officer.
“We engineered this platform to enable medicines that were previously impossible to make,” said Dr. Santi. “Having established the viability and versatility of our technology in earlier clinical applications, we have now optimized it to specifically address the complex requirements of metabolic peptide therapeutics. I am delighted to welcome Chris, whose leadership allows us to focus our full resources on rapidly advancing these novel molecules to patients.”
About Prolynx
Prolynx is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing ultra-long-acting medicines for obesity and other metabolic diseases. The Company is advancing a proprietary portfolio of extended-duration therapeutic candidates, targeting once monthly and once-quarterly dosing, optimized to smooth the peaks and troughs that can contribute to tolerability issues, and to support more consistent, long-term treatment. Backed by 5AM Ventures, OrbiMed, and Monograph Capital, Prolynx is based in Emeryville, CA. For more information, please visit https://prolynxinc.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn, X or Bluesky.
Contact:
Adam Silverstein
SCIENT
adam@scientpr.com
