Insider Brief
- ZipBio raised $4M in seed funding led by NFX to develop its generative AI platform for gene and protein compression, targeting drug development.
- ZipBio’s COMPACT platform designs smaller, more potent therapeutic molecules, improving effectiveness in areas like ophthalmology, gene therapy, and oncology.
- The funding will expand the team and advance its therapy pipeline, including a partnership with Genethon to develop gene therapy for Glycogen Storage Disorder III Muscular Dystrophy.
PRESS RELEASE — ZipBio, a startup developing a generative AI platform for gene and protein compression, today announced $4M in seed funding led by NFX with participation by MoreVC. The company’s platform designs highly potent, smaller therapeutic molecules, that overcome the size limitations of many drug targets. ZipBio is using the funding to grow its team and advance its pipeline of ophthalmological, gene therapy, and oncology therapies. The company is also working with external partners including Genethon to develop a first-in-class gene therapy for Glycogen Storage Disorder III Muscular Dystrophy.
ZipBio’s COMPACT Platform: Shrinking Therapies to Increase Success
The size of complex therapeutics has become a major limitation in designing, developing and manufacturing effective drugs. In many cases, the larger a gene or protein therapy is, the less effective it will be in properly finding and activating its target. ZipBio’s platform uses generative AI models, similar to those used in LLM models, to design de-novo compressed therapeutics tailored for a set of targets of interest. The platform’s output is multiple candidate drugs ready for preclinical testing. These compressed genes and proteins have a much higher likelihood of success for multiple therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology, gene therapy, and oncology.
“Software and biology aren’t as different as people think. While computers use 1s and 0s, biology uses A,T,G and Cs,” explained Omri Drory, Ph.D., General Partner at NFX. “the same way we can compress bits and make software smaller in size, ZipBio can compress biology with the new tools of de-novo protein design, biological LLMs and AI for protein folding as a novel way to cure diseases”
The company’s initial pipeline is focused on ophthalmology, targeting major diseases such as wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (wet AMD), Geographic Atrophy (GA), Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), and Glaucoma. ZipBio’s lead candidate, a pan-VEGF inhibitor for wet AMD, has successfully completed in-vivo proof-of-concept (POC) studies, with IND clearance expected in 2026.
“We’re laser focused on our mission to develop life changing therapies for millions of people across the globe,” stated Roee Farber, co-founder and CEO of ZipBio. “We’re grateful for the backing of such experienced investors who share our vision of using AI to improve drug development.”
ZipBio was founded in 2023 by Roee Farber, M.D, Ariel Ben-Sasson, Ph.D, Ori Hassin, M.D, Ph.D, and Ori Zelichov, M.D, a team with deep experience in AI and drug development. They realized the potential new generative AI technologies had for rewriting the code of biology. They’ve since added David Guyer, MD as an independent board member and enlisted a veteran team of scientific advisors with a track record of developing and commercializing blockbuster drugs.
Learn more about ZipBio and partnership opportunities at ziptx.bio.
About ZipBio
ZipBio is a startup developing a generative AI platform for gene and protein compression. Founded in 2023, the platform aims to overcome current limitations and deliver novel therapies for complex medical conditions, starting in ophthalmology. The company is backed by NFX, MoreVC, and partnered with NVIDIA, Google Cloud, and Genethon. Learn more at ziptx.bio.
