29 July 2024 | Monday | News
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ReviR Therapeutics, an AI-enabled biotechnology company focused on developing small molecule RNA modulators for neurogenetic diseases, announced today that it has successfully completed a $30 million Series A financing, bringing the total raised so far to $54M, including the seed financing in 2021. The financing was led by Lapam Capital with strong support from existing investors CDH Investments, 5Y Capital, and Yael Capital, as well as new participants XtalPi and the Charcot-Marie Tooth Research Foundation (CMTRF).
These funds will be used to further augment ReviR's AI-driven drug discovery VoyageR platform, which will be leveraged to advance proprietary chemical matter for novel and undruggable targets and to support clinical development of treatments for Huntington's disease (HD), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other neurological disorders.
Since its founding in 2021, ReviR Therapeutics has assembled an expert global drug discovery team and built a robust customized AI platform. ReviR's platform strategy focuses on developing non-invasive, orally administered genetic therapies that use small molecules to regulate RNA splicing and influence protein expression. This approach leverages the VoyageR platform to develop potent, safe, and selective RNA splicing modulators for a broad range of diseases.
While over 80% of disease-related proteins are considered "undruggable", ReviR's novel genetic therapies target RNA, upstream of protein synthesis to stop causal disease progression. Other genetic therapy modalities often encounter delivery challenges, particularly with crossing the blood-brain barrier, and can be invasive, especially for CNS diseases. ReviR is currently focused on treating neurodegenerative diseases and rare genetic disorders while exploring partnerships in the fields of oncology, immunology & inflammation, and metabolic diseases.
Dr. Peng Yue, Co-founder and CEO of ReviR Therapeutics, stated, "Neurological diseases affect a large number of individuals worldwide, many of which do not have disease modifying therapies available. ReviR is dedicated to developing accessible, safer genetic therapies that can be administered orally. We value the support from new and existing investors as we progress from initial platform development to clinical trials, continually enhancing our AI platform and advancing our pipeline. As we move forward, we will continue to raise funds as an extension to our Series A to support additional programs entering clinical trials."
Mr. Zhihua Yu, Founding Partner of Lapam Capital, commented, "Small molecule targeting RNA represents a highly challenging and innovative field. RNA targets offer greater potential compared to protein targets, but also present higher development difficulties. We have great confidence in ReviR's platform, which can identify potential RNA targets and efficiently develop safe and effective RNA-targeted therapies. This enables the development of orally administrable small molecule drugs for previously undruggable targets. ReviR has built a team with extensive experience in computational biology, RNA biology, and drug discovery, showcasing exceptional execution capabilities. We are confident the company will advance its pipeline to clinical trials soon, benefiting patients worldwide. We will continue to support ReviR with our experience and resources as it grows."
Dr. Shuhao Wen, Co-founder and Chairman of XtalPi, added, "At XtalPi, we recognize the immense potential of small molecule targeting RNA to significantly expand the boundaries of drug discovery. Our collaboration with ReviR, leveraging XtalPi's cutting-edge AI and robotics drug discovery solutions with ReviR's specialized capabilities in RNA structural analysis, small molecule screening, and target engagement evaluation, has already yielded promising pipeline results. Our collective expertise is aimed at propelling these innovations into clinical research, tapping into the vast and underexplored potential of RNA targets, and delivering effective novel therapeutic options to patients worldwide."
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