What Aclaris Therapeutics does

Aclaris Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, that develops small molecule and biologic drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases spanning dermatology, respiratory, and autoimmune indications. The company is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ACRS and was founded in 2012. Aclaris operates a proprietary drug discovery platform called KINect®, which combines a chemical library of several hundred kinase inhibitor compounds with structure-based drug design and custom kinase assays to identify candidates targeting non-catalytic cysteine residues across more than 300 kinases. Its clinical pipeline includes bosakitug (ATI-045, an anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody), ATI-052 (a TSLP/IL-4 bispecific antibody), ATI-2138 and ATI-9494 (oral ITK/JAK3 and ITK/TXK inhibitors), and lepzacotinib (ATI-1777, a topical JAK1/JAK3 inhibitor); it also holds worldwide rights to BSI-082 (anti-BH3 antibody) under a licensing agreement with Biosion. All candidates are investigational and none have received regulatory approval.

Aclaris is pre-revenue from a product perspective and funds its operations primarily through public and private equity financings — most recently a $59.8 million Q1 2026 raise that brought cash to $190.8 million and extended stated runway into 2028. Its primary commercial pathway is out-licensing clinical assets to large pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, supplemented by contract research services provided through wholly-owned subsidiary Confluence Discovery Technologies, Inc., a CRO based in St. Louis. Confluence generates the entirety of the company's reported quarterly revenue (approximately $1.3 million per quarter). Management is led by co-founder Neal Walker (CEO and Chair), with a substantially refreshed executive team including Hugh Davis (President and COO), Jesse Hall (CMO), and Roland Kolbeck (CSO), appointed between late 2024 and mid-2025. Aclaris was added to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index in December 2025.

The company's revenue model is a hybrid of clinical development (out-licensing milestones and royalties) and services (Confluence CRO). Its customer base consists of unnamed pharmaceutical and biotech companies utilizing Confluence's discovery services, and prospective licensing partners for its clinical-stage assets. As a public, development-stage company with no approved products, Aclaris is structurally unprofitable, with net losses widening to $19.8 million in Q1 2026 versus $15.1 million in Q1 2025.

Name

Aclaris Therapeutics

Legal name

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://aclaristx.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aclaris Therapeutics is a publicly traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops small molecule and biologic drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases using its proprietary KINect® kinase inhibitor discovery platform, targeting licensing partnerships with large pharma and operating a CRO subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Malvern

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equity Financings: Aclaris is a pre-revenue clinical-stage company. It funds operations through public equity offerings and private placements. The company completed a significant public equity financing in early 2026.
2. Strategic Licensing Partnerships: The company seeks to out-license its investigational drug candidates to pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for development and commercialization, generating potential milestone payments and royalties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aclaris Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule and biologic drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases, supported by its proprietary KINect® kinase inhibitor discovery platform. The company has no approved commercial products; its candidates (e.g., bosakitug/ATI-045, ATI-2138, ATI-052, lepzacotinib/ATI-1777) are available only through clinical trials and are intended to be out-licensed to larger pharmaceutical and biotech partners for further development and commercialization.

Product overview

Aclaris Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of investigational drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases. The company's pipeline includes biologic products (bosakitug, ATI-052) and small molecule inhibitors (ATI-2138, ATI-9494, lepzacotinib) targeting dermatologic, respiratory, and immunologic conditions. The proprietary KINect® platform supports small molecule drug discovery through kinase inhibitor chemistry and structure-based design. All products are investigational and not yet approved by regulatory authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bosakitug (ATI-045) An investigational novel humanized anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody that binds to human thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) with high affinity and long residence time, blocking its interaction with the receptor complex to disrupt signal transduction. Potential indications include severe asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis, and COPD.
• ATI-2138 An investigational oral covalent inhibitor targeting ITK (Interleukin-2-Inducible T Cell Kinase) and JAK3 for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Dual inhibition is intended to produce additive or synergistic anti-inflammatory activity in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
• ATI-052 An investigational humanized bispecific antibody that blocks both TSLP receptor signal transduction and IL-4 receptor activation to inhibit central proinflammatory pathways. Engineered to bind more tightly to FcRn for extended half-life; potential indications include respiratory and dermatology conditions.
• ATI-9494 A highly potent and selective preclinical investigational oral agent acting as a dual inhibitor of ITK and TXK/RLK Tec family kinases expressed in T cells. Demonstrates potent blockade of Th1 and Th2 responses with prolonged half-life, potentially enabling once-daily administration.
• Lepzacotinib (ATI-1777) An investigational soft topical JAK1/JAK3 inhibitor designed for topical application that is active in skin but rapidly metabolized when entering the bloodstream to minimize systemic exposure. Potential therapeutic targets include atopic dermatitis and other dermatologic conditions.
• KINect® Platform A proprietary drug discovery technology platform that accelerates identification of drug candidates through a combination of a proprietary chemical library of kinase inhibitors, structure-based drug design expertise, and custom kinase assays. Central to the platform is a novel chemical library of several hundred compounds targeting non-catalytic cysteine residues of over 300 kinases.
• Confluence Discovery Technologies Contract Research Services Full-service drug discovery and early development contract research services provided by Aclaris's wholly-owned subsidiary Confluence Discovery Technologies. Capabilities include cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, enzymology, biomarker development, immunology and inflammation, in vivo efficacy models, bioanalytical, computational and medicinal chemistry, and kinase inhibitor screening for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple investigational new drug (IND) applications filed and cleared by FDA
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BiosioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAclaris entered into a global licensing and collaboration agreement with Biosion for BSI-082, an anti-BH3 antibody. The partnership grants Aclaris rights to develop and commercialize BSI-082 globally in exchange for an upfront payment and potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Hugh Davis, Aclaris's Chief Business Officer, led the deal at his prior firm before joining Aclaris.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arcutis Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage dermatology specialty pharma developing small molecule and biologic therapies for immuno-inflammatory skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis — directly comparable to Aclaris's dermatology-focused pipeline including lepzacotinib.
• AnaptysBio: Clinical-stage immunology biotech developing antibody therapeutics for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, sharing Aclaris's immuno-inflammatory focus and biologics/small molecule strategy.
• MoonLake Immunotherapeutics: Clinical-stage immunology company developing biologics for inflammatory diseases including dermatologic conditions, with a similar small/mid-cap public structure and out-licensing optionality.
• Dice Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing oral small molecules against protein-protein interactions for immunology indications; comparable to Aclaris's kinase-inhibitor approach in immuno-inflammatory disease.
• Ventyx Biosciences: Clinical-stage immunology company developing small molecule and oral biologic therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with a comparable pipeline and partnership-oriented business model.
• RAPT Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immunology biotech developing small molecules for inflammatory diseases, including kinase-targeted approaches that overlap with Aclaris's KINect® discovery platform thesis.

Regional players

• Evolus: Specialty aesthetics/dermatology company focused on immuno-inflammatory indications; relevant comparable for Aclaris's dermatology positioning and specialty-pharma commercial playbook.

Broad incumbents

• AbbVie: Large biopharma with deep immuno-inflammatory franchise (Humira, Rinvoq, Skyrizi) and active in-licensing of clinical-stage assets — a natural potential partner/competitor shaping Aclaris's licensing economics.
• Amgen: Major biopharma with strong inflammation/autoimmune portfolio (Tezspire via AstraZeneca partnership, Otezla); a likely counterparty in any TSLP-targeted out-licensing from Aclaris.
• AstraZeneca / MedImmune: Large biopharma with established respiratory and immunology franchise (Tezspire, Fasenra) and historical kinase-inhibitor expertise via MedImmune — natural strategic acquirer or partner for Aclaris's pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aclaris-therapeutics-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds11 records

Investors16 records

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M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aclaris Therapeutics