Karalex Pharmaceuticals

Karalex Pharmaceuticals was a private biotechnology company based in Newton, Massachusetts, specializing in the development of oral enzyme therapies for metabolic disorders. The company's lead program, KRX-101, was an engineered phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) enzyme designed to treat Phenylketonuria (PKU) by reducing phenylalanine levels through gastrointestinal degradation. Founded in 2014 by Dr. Alexey Margolin, a veteran of the biotech industry, Karalex aimed to provide a non-injectable treatment alternative for patients with PKU. In June 2021, the company was acquired by Synlogic for approximately $2 million in upfront cash and stock, plus potential future milestones. The acquisition allowed Synlogic to integrate Karalex's enzyme expertise with its own Synthetic Biotic platform to advance treatments for metabolic diseases.