US-based biotechnology company Superluminal Medicines has completed a $60m Series B financing round to support its research into therapies for rare genetic forms of obesity and hypothalamic obesity.
The funding was led by BVF Partners, with participation from new investors Deep Track Capital and Perceptive Advisors.
Existing backers included Catalio Capital Management, Cooley, Eli Lilly and Company, Gaingels, Insight Partners, Nvidia, and RA Capital Management.
The company plans to use the proceeds to progress its lead candidate, a selective, biased melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, towards a Phase I clinical trial by the end of this year.
The additional funds will support the expansion of other pipeline programmes and the development of small‑molecule, GPCR‑targeted therapies for endocrine and cardiometabolic diseases.
Superluminal’s MC4R agonist is being developed for rare genetic forms of obesity, including Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) and hypothalamic obesity.
The MC4R pathway plays a key role in energy homeostasis and appetite regulation, which has been established in these rare diseases.
According to the company, activating only the signalling pathways responsible for the desired effect may maximise therapeutic activity and minimise unwanted side effects.
In preclinical models, the therapy demonstrated high selectivity and a favourable safety profile.
Superluminal has also suggested possible future applications in conditions such as Prader-Willi syndrome, and potential utility in broader populations in combination with GLP-1 therapies.
Superluminal Medicines CEO Cony D'Cruz said: “This financing represents an important milestone in Superluminal's evolution as we transition from a discovery platform company to a clinical-stage biotechnology company.
“Rare genetic forms of obesity and hypothalamic obesity are devastating diseases with limited treatment options, and we believe our selective, biased MC4R agonist has the potential to make a meaningful difference for these patients.
“With the support of this exceptional investor syndicate, we are positioned to advance our first clinical programme while continuing to build a pipeline of GPCR-targeted medicines for patients with significant unmet needs in cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.”
The company’s research and development efforts focus on integrating advanced structural biology with proprietary machine learning tools.
Superluminal further maintains collaborations with pharmaceutical partners, including an existing partnership with Eli Lilly and Company, to develop small molecule therapeutics targeting undisclosed GPCRs for cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.
