Grove Biopharma is a private biotechnology company advancing its Bionic Biologics platform, developing therapies targeting previously intractable intracellular disease targets. The company has announced the closing of a $30 million Series A funding round. DCVC Bio led this funding round with participation from Eli Lilly, InVivium Capital, Walder Ventures, Gradiant Corporation, Mansueto Investments, and others. And they join existing seed supporters, including Portal Innovations, where Grove was incubated.
Bionic Biologics represents a novel therapeutic modality that integrates principles of biologic and synthetic design. And this platform enables the targeting of well-validated yet previously intractable disease drivers, unlocking new possibilities for therapeutic intervention. Bionic Biologics combines advancements in precision polymer chemistry with the latest tools of medicinal chemistry, peptide chemistry, AI/ML-driven computational chemistry, and protein engineering. The result is an integrated platform that is capable of designing fully synthetic and cell-penetrant, protein-scale molecules that solve protein-scale problems.
Bionic Biologics provides a new approach to targeting protein-protein interactions (PPI), differentiated by several characteristics:
1.) Bionic – Hybrid synthetic biomolecules with enhanced functionality beyond what is possible.
2.) Cell permeable – Multivalent and chameleonic architecture enables membrane permeability for reaching intracellular targets.
3.) Customizable – Plug-and-play design, modular construction, and tunable properties to rapidly develop and implement molecules, either monofunctional or bifunctional, against any target.
Grove Biopharma’s Bionic Biologics were shown in proof-of-concept studies across several validated yet formidable intracellular targets. And the company’s pipeline is initially focused on oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, where the advantage of cell-permeability enables therapeutic intervention in these disease pathways. Grove’s lead effort is an androgen receptor signaling program for the treatment of castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Data to date has demonstrated in vivo proof-of-concept and the company is advancing towards an IND submission.
Originating from Professor Nathan Gianneschi’s lab at Northwestern University, the Bionic Biologics platform is now being advanced by the Grove Biopharma R&D team, including Paul Bertin, Ph.D., Co-Founder, President and Chief Technology Officer, and Robert Campbell, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer.
What the funding will be used for: The proceeds will be used to further advance Grove Biopharma’s proprietary platform and drive its lead oncology programs towards the clinic.
KEY QUOTES:
“At Grove, we are focused on developing therapeutics for well-understood but historically intractable disease targets, with the goal of delivering better options for patients living with serious illnesses where few, if any, effective therapies exist. We believe our Bionic Biologics platform represents a true paradigm shift for drug development, enabling us to rapidly develop molecules that can selectively inhibit or degrade even the most challenging intracellular drug targets. We are deeply grateful to our seed and Series A investors for their ongoing confidence and support as we advance this exciting new technology to patients.”
Geoffrey Duyk, M.D., Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO at Grove
“Proteins are the molecular machines that drive all essential cellular function, and dysregulated intracellular protein-protein interactions are the cause of many human diseases. Existing drug modalities are either unable to penetrate cells or cannot effectively engage these large disease target domains. Bionic Biologics provide a new approach to this challenge, and I am excited to continue collaborating with the Grove team to advance this new modality to the clinic.”
Nathan Gianneschi, Ph.D., Scientific Founder of Grove Biopharma and Professor at Northwestern University
“Grove Biopharma is addressing one of the most important challenges in drug development — targeting intracellular protein-protein interactions—with a novel, synthetic biology-based approach. We believe the Bionic Biologics platform has the potential to unlock a whole world of new therapeutic possibilities,” Stead highlights. “The combination of approaches Grove is taking will be used to pursue first in-class-medicines with exceptional profiles and ease of manufacturing.”
- Kiersten Stead, Ph.D., Managing Partner at DCVC Bio and Grove board member
