Superluminal Medicines brings in $120 million

A biotech start-up will develop six new small molecules with the help of $120 million in new funding.

Superluminal Medicines is using generative artificial intelligence to help design small-molecule medicines that target G protein–coupled receptors, or GPCRs, as well as ion channels and transporters. Superluminal has not disclosed any specific disease areas.

GPCRs have recaptured the interest of biotech and pharmaceutical companies in recent years. Last September, Vertex Pharmaceuticals bought a GPCR-targeting program from the biotech firm Septerna for $47.5 million. Big Pharma companies including Eli Lilly and Company and Daiichi Sankyo have also both inked multimillion-dollar collaborations with smaller biotech firms to develop small molecules against the targets.

Superluminal is based in Lilly’s incubator space, Lilly Gateway Labs, at the company’s new 32,100 m² site in Boston. Lilly participated in Superluminal’s series A financing, as did tech company Nvidia’s venture capital arm, NVentures. RA Capital Management led the financing.