Drug Farm Secures $55 Million Series D to Advance AI-Discovered First-in-Class Candidates DF-003 and DF-006
核心洞察
Drug Farm (搜索) completed the first closing of a $55 million Series D financing co-led by Shanghai Pudong Leading Area Investment Center and Shanghai Puxing Collaborative Private Equity Fund Partnership Enterprise.
Proceeds will support pivotal development of DF-003, an ALPK1 (搜索) inhibitor for ROSAH syndrome (搜索) entering Phase 3, and clinical proof-of-concept in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
DF-003 is among the first AI-discovered drugs to advance toward late-stage clinical development and holds FDA Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations.
Drug Farm (搜索), a clinical-stage biotechnology company with operations in Shanghai and Albany, New York, announced the successful first closing of a $55 million Series D financing round on July 13, 2026. The round was co-led by the Shanghai Pudong Leading Area Investment Center and Shanghai Puxing Collaborative Private Equity Fund Partnership Enterprise, with participation from new investors Tukar Capital, Fuzhou Xinhe Fund, Shenzhen Luohu Donghai Chempartner Investment Fund, and Keyuan Pharma. Existing investors including BioVeda China Fund (BVCF), YD Capital, Jiashan State VC, Detong Capital, Wedo Capital, and Biometas also participated. Haoyue Capital served as exclusive financial adviser.
The financing marks a significant milestone for the company as it advances multiple first-in-class drug candidates discovered through its proprietary AI-enabled platforms toward late-stage clinical development.
Capital Deployment Across Pipeline
The proceeds will be directed toward advancing Drug Farm (搜索)'s clinical and preclinical pipeline, accelerating global clinical development programs, strengthening regulatory activities across key markets, and expanding R&D capabilities. Dr. Henri Lichenstein, Chief Executive Officer of Drug Farm, emphasized that DF-003 is "amongst the first drugs developed with AI and entering a Phase 3 trial."
Specifically, the funding will support pivotal development activities for DF-003 in patients with ROSAH syndrome (搜索), as well as clinical proof-of-concept studies in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A portion of the proceeds will also fund continued clinical development of DF-006 as a potential treatment for chronic hepatitis B (搜索).
DF-003: An AI-Discovered ALPK1 (搜索) Inhibitor
DF-003 is an investigational, first-in-class small-molecule drug developed using Drug Farm (搜索)'s MedChem5 AI-enabled medicinal chemistry platform. The candidate inhibits alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1 (搜索)), including disease-causing ALPK1 variants. ALPK1 is involved in inflammatory signaling and has been linked to ROSAH syndrome (搜索), a rare genetic inflammatory disorder characterized by retinal dystrophy, optic nerve edema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis, and headache.
In an ongoing Phase 1b clinical study (NCT06395285), DF-003 has shown preliminary evidence of improvement across several symptoms associated with ROSAH syndrome (搜索). The candidate has received Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and has been accepted into the FDA's Rare Disease Evidence Principles process. Research describing the discovery and preclinical development of DF-003 was published in Nature Communications.
DF-006: Oral ALPK1 (搜索) Agonist for Chronic Hepatitis B (搜索)
DF-006 is a first-in-class oral ALPK1 (搜索) agonist and immunomodulator designed to stimulate local innate immune responses in the liver. The candidate has completed single-ascending-dose and multiple-ascending-dose evaluations in healthy volunteers, as well as multiple-ascending-dose evaluation in virologically suppressed patients with hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B (搜索), where encouraging antiviral activity was observed. Research findings related to DF-006 have been published in Hepatology. Drug Farm (搜索) has also entered into a clinical collaboration with Xiamen Amoytop Biotech (搜索) Co., Ltd. to advance DF-006 for chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Proprietary Platform Technology
Dr. Tony Xu, Chief Operating Officer of Drug Farm (搜索), highlighted the company's IDInVivo+ and MedChem5 platforms, which integrate human genetics, in vivo biology, and AI-enabled medicinal chemistry. "These platforms allow us to identify and validate novel drug targets and move first-in-class candidates into clinical development," Xu said. "This financing will help us bring more potential therapies to patients with significant unmet medical needs, particularly in metabolic and autoimmune diseases."
Dr. Tian Xu, Founder and Chairman of Drug Farm (搜索), described the financing as "an important milestone in Drug Farm's mission to develop first-in-class drugs for the world," adding that the participation of both new and existing investors "reflects strong confidence in the company's scientific innovation, development strategy, and long-term vision."
Wu Xiaokun, a partner at Haoyue Capital, noted: "We have witnessed Drug Farm (搜索) translate its genetics- and AI-enabled discovery platforms into a growing clinical pipeline. The progress of DF-003 and DF-006 demonstrates the potential of the company's approach."