Nilo Therapeutics has raised an extraordinary $101 million in Series A funding to propel a groundbreaking new class of medicine: neural circuit immunotherapy. The round was led by The Column Group (TCG), with participation from DCVC Bio, Lux Capital, the Gates Foundation, and Alexandria Venture Investments. Founded and led by Dr. Kim Seth, Nilo is exploring an entirely new frontier in medicine - harnessing the brain’s neural pathways to control immune responses and restore homeostasis in disease.

Reimagining the Interface Between Brain and Immunity

Nilo’s work is based on a profound scientific insight: the brain and immune system are deeply interconnected. For decades, immunology and neuroscience evolved separately, but research has revealed that neural circuits play a key role in regulating systemic inflammation and immune balance. Nilo Therapeutics aims to translate this discovery into therapeutic applications that target diseases ranging from autoimmune disorders to chronic inflammation.

By focusing on master regulator brain-body circuits that control immune activity, Nilo’s therapies aim to recalibrate immune responses at their source. Instead of directly modulating immune cells through drugs or biologics, the company’s approach targets the neural commands that orchestrate them - essentially rewriting the code that controls immune function.

The implications are enormous. This strategy could open the door to treatments that address the root cause of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and even neuroinflammatory conditions. It’s a bold vision, one that unites neurobiology and immunology in a single therapeutic framework.

The Power of a Paradigm Shift

Traditional drug discovery has focused on chemical or molecular interventions within the immune system itself. Nilo’s innovation lies in stepping one layer higher - to the control system that dictates immune behavior. By doing so, the company is building an entirely new therapeutic modality, similar in magnitude to the leap from small molecules to biologics.

In the long term, neural circuit immunotherapy could redefine how we treat not just immune disorders, but potentially metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases linked to systemic inflammation. The platform’s flexibility could yield a broad pipeline of first-in-class therapeutics, each rooted in the same fundamental mechanism: restoring balance through the nervous system.

And here’s where a key founder insight surfaces - one that every deep-tech entrepreneur should study closely. In frontier science startups like Nilo, the product isn’t just a treatment - it’s a thesis on how biology truly works. Founders in this space aren’t competing on incremental innovation; they’re redefining how we understand systems. That’s why building credibility early - through data, partnerships, and a precise scientific narrative - isn’t optional; it’s existential. Investors aren’t buying into a product roadmap; they’re buying into a worldview. The startups that win in deep tech are those that communicate their science as a new operating system for reality, not just a new app on top of it.

Backing from Biotech’s Most Visionary Investors

The caliber of Nilo’s investors underscores how transformative this vision could be. The Column Group (TCG) has backed some of the most influential biotech companies in history, while DCVC Bio and Lux Capital are known for investing at the intersection of computation, biology, and deep science. The inclusion of the Gates Foundation signals global health potential, highlighting the platform’s capacity to address widespread immune and inflammatory conditions that impact millions worldwide.

This $101 million Series A round will allow Nilo to advance its discovery platform, validate its lead programs in preclinical models, and prepare for its first clinical trials. The company is building a robust infrastructure around proprietary circuit-mapping technology and precision neuro-immune interfaces designed to measure and modulate immune control in real time.

The Founder’s Vision: Precision Meets Systems Biology

Dr. Kim Seth, Ph.D., brings deep expertise in systems biology, neuroscience, and immunology - an interdisciplinary combination that mirrors the company’s mission. Under her leadership, Nilo Therapeutics is bridging disciplines that have long been siloed, creating a unified framework for understanding how neural pathways govern immune activity.

His goal isn’t just to treat disease - it’s to restore equilibrium within the human body. “The immune system isn’t a set of switches to be turned on or off,” he’s noted in discussions around the company’s approach. “It’s a complex, adaptive network that responds to neural inputs. If we can understand and guide that communication, we can redefine what medicine means.”

The Future of Neuro-Immune Medicine

As Nilo Therapeutics scales its operations, it’s paving the way for a new category of medicine that could transform how doctors treat systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation. The company’s early data suggests that modulating specific neural pathways can rebalance immune function across multiple organ systems - something no traditional therapy has achieved.

In the next phase, Nilo will likely pursue partnerships with research institutions and pharmaceutical companies seeking to expand their understanding of neuroimmune interactions. With such a significant infusion of capital, the company is positioned to lead this emerging domain, potentially defining an entire field much like CRISPR did for gene editing or mRNA for vaccines.

Nilo Therapeutics isn’t just another biotech startup - it’s a scientific movement redefining how the human body’s two most complex systems talk to each other. By turning the brain’s regulatory power into a therapeutic tool, Nilo is advancing medicine into the next frontier - where the mind and immune system collaborate to heal.