Vilya launches with $50 million Series A

A biotechnology company aimed at creating a new class of medicines that precisely target disease biology, Vilya, has announced its launch with $50 million in committed Series A financing led by ARCH Venture Partners.

The funding will be used to advance the USA-based company’s proprietary platform, powered by machine learning, which can be used to design molecular structures that range in size between small molecules and antibodies, with critical drug-like properties, including the ability to move through biological membranes and to disrupt protein-to-protein interactions. These new artificial molecules can be leveraged for previously difficult-to-drug therapeutic targets in a broad set of indications.

"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," said David Baker, co-founder of Vilya.