Tellus Therapeutics, a neonatal care company developing treatments for newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), announced today the closing of a Series A financing round of $35 million led by the Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund (PXV Fund). The capital will be used to continue important preclinical work conducted through the seed investment with the Xontogeny development team and to advance TT-20, the company's lead candidate for the treatment of white matter brain injury in preterm infants, as well as the company's pipeline programs.

Tellus Therapeutics is a neonatal care company developing safe and effective interventions for unmet needs of newborns. Founded in October 2018, Tellus is translating breakthrough science licensed from Duke University that originated in board-certified neonatologist Dr. Eric Benner's research laboratory together with collaborator and Tellus scientific co-founder Dr. Simon Gregory. Dr. Benner's work identified compounds in breast milk that induce the regeneration of myelin-producing oligodendrocytes and repair WMI in animal models of perinatal brain injury. Tellus's goal for its lead asset, TT-20, is to provide a treatment for every baby born at risk for brain injury and to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes for affected children.