Alnara secures $20m in venture capital financing

Alnara Pharmaceuticals Inc., a newly formed life sciences company in Boston, announced today that it has secured $20 million in Series A venture capital financing.

The company said it is focusing on developing innovative non-systemic protein therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic and inflammatory diseases,

The round was co-led by Frazier Healthcare Ventures, which has offices in Seattle, and Third Rock Ventures of Boston, and included co-investor Bessemer Venture Partners, which has offices in Wellesley.

The company is headed by chief executive Alexey Margolin, a former chief scientific officer of Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Cambridge biopharmaceutical company. Alnara's said its board of directors is made up of experienced life sciences executives, including Christoph Westphal, chief executive officer of Sirtris, the Cambridge company that was acquired earlier this year by the British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Alnara said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)