Superluminal Medicines has raised $60 million in an oversubscribed Series B financing as the biotech moves to take its lead drug candidate for rare genetic forms of obesity and hypothalamic obesity into the clinic.

 

The round was led by BVF Partners, L.P., with new investors Deep Track Capital and Perceptive Advisors joining existing backers RA Capital Management, Insight Partners, NVIDIA, Catalio Capital Management, Eli Lilly and Company, Cooley and Gaingels.

 

The company plans to use the proceeds to advance its selective, biased MC4R agonist into a Phase 1 clinical trial expected to begin by the end of 2026. The financing will also fund additional pipeline programs and expansion of Superluminal’s GPCR-focused drug discovery platform.

 

"This financing represents an important milestone in Superluminal's evolution as we transition from a discovery platform company to a clinical-stage biotechnology company," said Cony D'Cruz, Chief Executive Officer of Superluminal Medicines. 

 

"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 program while continuing to build a pipeline of GPCR-targeted medicines for patients with significant unmet needs in cardiometabolic diseases and obesity."

 

Superluminal’s lead program targets MC4R, a key regulator of appetite and energy balance. The pathway has been clinically validated in rare genetic forms of obesity, including Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), as well as hypothalamic obesity.

 

The company says its candidate is designed to selectively activate signaling pathways associated with therapeutic effects while limiting pathways that could drive side effects. In preclinical studies, the drug demonstrated high selectivity and a favorable safety profile, according to Superluminal.

 

The company also sees potential beyond its initial indications, including rare diseases such as Prader-Willi syndrome and, potentially, combination treatment with GLP-1 therapies in broader obesity populations.

 

Superluminal’s broader bet is on using artificial intelligence and structural biology to tackle GPCRs, a class of drug targets known for their complexity. Its platform combines Agentic Cryo-EM, GPCR-focused co-folding models, de novo small-molecule design, predictive ADME and toxicology models, and GPCR biophysics.

 

The company says the platform can generate hundreds of empirical GPCR structures and explore functional selectivity and changing three-dimensional binding pockets at scale.

 

"We are excited to partner with Superluminal as the company prepares to enter the clinic,” said Harsha Paladugu, Investment Analyst at BVF and member of Superluminal’s Board of Directors. “The lead MC4R program has the potential to address a serious unmet need for patients with rare genetic forms of obesity, and we believe Superluminal's integrated discovery platform has demonstrated the ability to generate differentiated small molecule medicines against historically challenging GPCR targets."

 

The Series B also strengthens Superluminal’s ties with pharmaceutical and technology investors. The company has an existing collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company focused on small-molecule therapies against undisclosed GPCR targets in cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.

 

"The caliber of this financing syndicate speaks to the progress Superluminal has made in establishing a differentiated approach to small molecule drug discovery,” said Nandita Shangari, managing director at RA Capital Management and a member of Superluminal’s Board of Directors. 

 

“Bringing together leading healthcare investors alongside existing strategic and technology partners reflects growing confidence in both the company's platform and the team's ability to translate that technology into meaningful clinical programs. As Superluminal enters its next phase of growth, the company is well positioned to build a pipeline of innovative medicines for patients in need."