Company integrates generative biology, chemistry and machine learning to rapidly generate candidate-ready compounds.
Generative biology and chemistry company Superluminal Medicines has successfully closed a $120 million Series A funding round as it seeks to revolutionize the speed and accuracy of how medicine is created. The Boston-based company leverages a cutting-edge platform that integrates generative biology, chemistry and machine learning to accurately generate candidate-ready compounds at “unprecedented speed.”
This investment will primarily be used to advance Superluminal’s lead drug programs into clinical development and to expand its pipeline of small molecule drug discovery programs. The company’s initial focus is on GPCRs, a large family of membrane proteins involved in several key physiological processes, including metabolic processes such as glucose regulation and energy balance, both of which are crucial in the onset and progression of obesity.
While specific details of Superluminal’s pipeline were not disclosed, one of the most recognized GPCRs is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which has garnered significant attention for its role in weight management, diabetes prevention and potentially other conditions. This could indicate the company is set to join the growing number of companies targeting metabolic diseases.
Despite the fact that GPCRs are the target of about 35% of all approved drugs, Superluminal says that most remain unexplored as drug targets, providing a vast opportunity for therapeutic innovation. The company’s platform models protein structures and designs highly selective compounds that target specific structural changes for therapeutic outcomes. The platform is bolstered by a proprietary big data infrastructure and a pharmacokinetic and toxicology prediction system, which together enable a high level of drug discovery precision.
“Our approach allows us to interrogate proteins dynamically, exploring the variety of conformations a protein can adopt, which is critical to identifying specific disease states mediated by membrane receptors,” said Cony D’Cruz, CEO of Superluminal. “By understanding and leveraging these dynamic properties, we can intervene positively within the natural context of the cell and the body.”
The funding will help the Superluminal progress six small molecule programs, while also continuing to build a robust platform aimed at efficiently generating therapeutics for any membrane drug target. By interrogating proteins dynamically and exploring their various conformations, the company aims to target specific disease states more effectively, claiming its approach is particularly critical for addressing GPCRs, ion channels and transporters, which play fundamental roles in cell signaling and response.
The funding round, which follows an initial $33 million seed round last year, was led by RA Capital Management, with contributions from other investors including Insight Partners, NVentures, Catalio Capital Management, Eli Lilly, Gaingels and Cooley LLP.
