Antiverse, a UK-based biotech company, has announced the closing of a $9.3 million Series A funding round led by Soulmates Ventures. The company specializes in developing AI-designed therapeutic antibodies, focusing on complex and hard-to-reach molecular targets.

Targeting "undruggable" targets

One of the major challenges in modern medicine is the treatment of diseases linked to so-called "undruggable" molecular targets. Drug discovery in this area is notoriously complex, with high failure rates for candidates entering clinical trials (around 90%).

Antiverse's AI platform

Antiverse addresses this challenge with an AI-led computational platform designed to generate therapeutic antibodies against complex targets such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels. These targets are implicated in various conditions, including cancer, neurological disorders, and rare genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

The company combines machine learning with in-house laboratory validation to generate and test antibody candidates. Antiverse's models design antibodies for specific targets, which are then built and evaluated using proprietary cell systems that replicate how the target proteins appear in the human body. Candidates showing promising results are subsequently advanced toward clinical development.

Collaboration with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Antiverse has also entered into a research agreement with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to design antibodies targeting the extracellular region of the CFTR protein, a historically challenging target. Under the collaboration, the company will apply its AI-driven platform to accelerate the evaluation of new therapeutic approaches.

Future prospects

The new funding will enable Antiverse to scale its AI-powered antibody discovery platform for pharmaceutical and foundation partners through collaborative programmes. It will also support the expansion of the company’s internal drug pipeline and advance lead antibody programmes toward in vivo efficacy studies.