Clinical-stage biotech company Juvenescence Limited announced the acquisition of AI drug discovery company Ro5 Inc. on June 5, 2025, marking a strategic expansion of its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities for developing therapeutics targeting age-related diseases. The acquisition forms a central component of Juvenescence's partnership with Abu Dhabi-based global healthcare company M42, announced in April 2025.
Advanced AI Platform Integration
Ro5's platform leverages a proprietary Biomedical Knowledge Graph comprising over 85 million nodes and approximately 400 million relationships to uncover novel associations in biological processes and enable robust evaluation of drug targets based on biological, therapeutic, and market potential. The company's AI Chemistry Platform incorporates state-of-the-art machine learning models and cheminformatics tools, facilitating rapid and efficient discovery and design of novel compounds from hit identification through lead optimization.
The integration of Ro5's AI drug discovery platform and expert team into Juvenescence will accelerate the identification and development of AI-enabled therapeutics, reinforcing the company's growing pipeline in cognition, cardio-metabolism, immunity, and cellular repair.
Strategic Financing and Partnership
The acquisition follows Juvenescence's recent announcement of a $76 million first-close of its Series B-1 financing round led by cornerstone investor M42, with follow-on investments from existing investors. The second close of the Series B-1 is anticipated in the third quarter of 2025. Proceeds will support clinical milestones and AI-driven development across Juvenescence's portfolio of therapeutics targeting age-related diseases.
Dr Richard Marshall CBE, CEO of Juvenescence, emphasized the strategic importance of the acquisition: "The addition of Ro5's AI platform significantly enhances our drug discovery capabilities, accelerating our efforts to identify and advance effective therapeutics to extend healthspan. This acquisition is also a critical part of our wider strategy with M42 to deliver a pipeline of transformative therapies and establish a world-class life sciences hub in Abu Dhabi."
Leadership and Vision
Charles Dazler Knuff, CEO of Ro5, highlighted the collaborative potential: "Embedding our AI-driven drug discovery capabilities into Juvenescence's operations will accelerate their ability to advance next-generation therapeutics. Together with our partners at M42 we are also laying the foundations for a pioneering life sciences ecosystem in Abu Dhabi that leverages AI innovation to transform patient care and global health outcomes."
Juvenescence was founded by Jim Mellon, Dr Greg Bailey and Dr Declan Doogan, who have a track record of leading 2 of the 10 largest biopharma deals in the last decade, including the sale of Biohaven to Pfizer for $11.6 billion. The Juvenescence team consists of world-class R&D leadership that have previously been instrumental in the approval of medicines totaling $30 billion in peak annual sales.
Technology and Capabilities
Ro5's proprietary neural network architectures learn complex relationships between a molecule's basic physicochemical properties and its more general pharmacological characteristics. The platform is designed to reduce discovery time from years to months while increasing accuracy and lowering costs throughout the drug development process.
The company's diverse, AI-enabled medicines pipeline includes clinical and near-clinical stage candidates targeting core aging mechanisms. Juvenescence also maintains investments in cutting-edge companies and platform technologies focused on AI and regenerative medicine, positioning the company at the forefront of longevity therapeutics development.
