As the Covid-19 pandemic reignited scientific and medical interest among the general public, the interest also carried over to investors. In the early months of the pandemic funding for biotech companies soared to new levels but eventually dwindled down. And although the industry’s funding trend is on a decline, a new Seattle biotech startup is launching with a fresh round of capital.
On Monday, Vilya officially announced its launch along with $50 million in Series A funding led by ARCH Venture Partners, a VC firm with offices in Seattle, Chicago and San Fransisco that backs scientific startups.
Vilya was formed by scientists from the Institute of Protein Design and was co-founded by David Baker and ARCH Venture Partners. With initial funding secured, Vilya is looking to create “a new class” of medicine that will target specific disease biology.
To create the new medicines, the company will leverage its machine learning platform along with research in chemistry to design novo molecular structures that are microscopic in size. The size of the structures will allow them to move through membranes and stop protein interactions caused by diseases.
“Over the last few decades, drug developers have struggled to find natural molecules for most drug targets. Vilya’s ability to precisely design membrane permeable molecules with high structural accuracy opens the door to a new class of medicines that combine the advantages of traditional small molecule drugs and larger protein-based therapeutics,” Baker said in a press release.
