Ten63 Therapeutics Raises $45M to Advance AI-Driven Drug Discovery Platform Targeting Previously Undruggable Proteins
核心洞察
Ten63 Therapeutics (搜索) secured strategic investment from Chugai Venture Fund (搜索) and the Gates Foundation (搜索), bringing total funding to over $45 million to advance their BEYOND AI drug discovery platform.
The company's BEYOND platform represents the world's first Large Quantum Chemistry Model, capable of simulating trillions of potential drugs per protein with experimental-level accuracy at unprecedented speed.
Ten63 is developing therapeutics against previously undruggable targets including Myc (搜索) oncogene, which drives 70% of all cancers, and HPV viral proteins causing over 650,000 cancer cases annually.
Ten63 Therapeutics (搜索), an advanced AI drug-discovery company, announced the completion of a strategic financing round that brings the company's total funding to over $45 million. The round was led by new investors Chugai Venture Fund (搜索) and the Gates Foundation (搜索), marking a significant milestone for the Durham, North Carolina-based company's mission to tackle previously undruggable protein targets.
Revolutionary AI Platform Targets Undruggable Proteins
The funding will accelerate development of Ten63's proprietary BEYOND platform, described as the world's first Large Quantum Chemistry Model (LQCM). The platform delivers quantum-mechanics level simulations that are orders of magnitude faster than other cutting-edge computational approaches while maintaining experimental-level accuracy.
"We are very impressed with Ten63's AI drug discovery platform and its ability to quickly and accurately simulate trillions of potential drugs," said John Gustofson, President and Head of Chugai Venture Fund (搜索). "However, this is not just about making drug discovery faster. It's about creating medicines for targets no one else can and designing better alternatives where existing drugs deliver inadequate results."
According to the company, BEYOND enables pursuit of previously undruggable targets, which correspond to 80% of all proteins in the human body. The platform can explore and learn from trillions of molecular possibilities millions of times faster than physical methods while retaining experimental-level accuracy.
Breakthrough Progress on Notorious Cancer Target
Ten63 has demonstrated the platform's capabilities through multiple programs, including work on Myc (搜索), one of the most-studied oncogenes. Despite hundreds of attempts spanning 40 years, Myc has remained elusive to drug developers, yet it is believed to drive 70% of all cancers. The company reports that its Myc-targeting therapeutics in active development surpass all previous attempts at Myc inhibition.
"AI not only accelerates drug discovery; it enables us to pursue high-impact targets in ways that were previously impossible," said Marcel Frenkel, PhD, CEO of Ten63 Therapeutics (搜索). "Many of the most important targets across multiple diseases are considered undruggable. These critical targets are data-poor and difficult to reach experimentally, making them exceptionally difficult for traditional experimental screening and current AI techniques."
Global HPV Initiative Addresses Cancer Pandemic
In connection with the Gates Foundation (搜索) investment, Ten63 received a grant to support a global strategy addressing cervical cancer through HPV treatment development. Human papillomavirus represents the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide, with high-risk strains leading to cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers. Each year, HPV causes cancer in more than 650,000 women and men globally.
The BEYOND platform is being deployed to develop cost-effective and safe treatments for HPV lesions by targeting viral proteins that lead to cancer and have previously been undruggable. This initiative represents a coordinated global effort to address one of the deadliest cancers worldwide through innovative computational drug discovery.
Expanding Investor Syndicate and Leadership
The latest funding round included participation from new investors RYSE, K5 Global, SF Holdings, Duke Capital Partners, Cape Fear BioCapital, Black Opal Ventures, and Panorama, alongside existing investors Hatteras Venture Partners (搜索), Yosemite, Morpheus Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, and Draper Associates.
Mike Dial, Ph.D., Managing Director of Chugai Venture Fund (搜索), joined Ten63's board of directors in connection with the financing. Clay Thorp, Ten63 Chairman of the Board and General Partner at Hatteras Venture Partners (搜索), emphasized the transformative potential: "Ten63's approach has the potential to transform not just cancer treatment, but the entire spectrum of drug discovery."
Advancing Toward Drug Discovery Superintelligence
Ten63, a Duke and TTIC spin-out headquartered in North Carolina's Research Triangle, is leveraging its BEYOND computational platform for generative chemistry to develop first- and best-in-class therapeutics. The company maintains an internal oncology pipeline while pursuing strategic partnerships across multiple indications.
Frenkel outlined the company's ambitious vision: "By perfecting a simulation environment that enables AI to explore and learn from trillions of molecular possibilities, millions of times faster than physical methods, while retaining experimental-level accuracy, we are advancing towards superintelligence for drug discovery. At that point, we believe little will remain undruggable."