Conn. Agency Pumps $515K into Helix Therapeutics

Ryan McBride3/5/09

Helix Therapeutics, a biotech startup developing treatments for infectious and genetic diseases, has reeled in a $515,000 investment from quasi-public investor Connecticut Innovations, according to Connecticut Innovations. The investment is part of a $965,000 round of financing that included Cambridge, MA-based investment firm LaunchCapital, individual backers, and a line of credit from Webster Bank. Helix is developing treatments made of small pieces of DNA to treat illnesses such as AIDS/HIV, sickle cell anemia, and Gaucher’s disease. The firm’s drugs, licensed from Yale University School of Medicine, aim to treat diseases by binding to DNA in human cells and permanently modifying genes, the firm says.