Biolexis lands $10m to advance metabolic drug program with longevity potential

Company is developing metabolic drug candidates targeting obesity, diabetes and human longevity.
AI-driven drug discovery company Biolexis Therapeutics has closed a $10 million Series A funding round, supporting its mission to advance metabolic drug development. The company has programs targeting a wide range of age-related conditions and has a pipeline entity exploring potential applications in human longevity.

Biolexis specializes in the development of small molecules targeting a spectrum of diseases, including neurodegenerative, metabolic, and inflammatory conditions. The company has developed an AI-enabled drug discovery process called MolecuLern, which it uses to rapidly identify and develop clinical candidates. Biolexis says its process can target any class of protein to identify novel chemical entities with drug-like characteristics and compresses the discovery and development timeline “from years to months.”

The recent funding round was led by Clarke Capital and will support the advancement of Biolexis’ development pipeline, which is focused on drug candidates that target metabolic disorders linked to health complications such as obesity and diabetes. The company says it has 40 active programs in discovery and 10 pipeline programs in the IND-enabling stages of development.

“Our science is on point and our team is ready to tackle the unmet needs within the metabolic disorder spectrum,” said David Bearss, CEO of Biolexis, a company he co-founded with Dr Hariprasad Vankayalapati in 2021.

Longevity on the agenda
Interestingly, Biolexis also recently announced Metabolexis, a new pipeline company that develops targeted oral small molecules for the treatment of obesity and diabetes, which also have the “potential to improve human longevity.” The Metabolexis pipeline includes isoform-specific activators of AMPK, aGLP-1/GLP-1R agonists, and mTORC1 inhibitors. Biolexis says it plans to file INDs for three agents by the end of 2024 and hopes to initiate Phase I safety clinical trials in early 2025.

“Obesity-related conditions, including Type-2 diabetes, cardiometabolic, stroke, and age-related diseases, continue to be crucial issues in our communities,” said Vankayalapati. “As we continue to research, develop, and implement innovative methods to address critical unmet medical needs, we believe our work in activating AMPK, agonizing GLP-1, and inhibiting mTORC1 targets will expand treatment options for patients with these and other metabolic disorders.”

Photograph: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

Biolexis lands $10m to advance metabolic drug program with longevity potential