Company gears up for pivotal trials of AI-developed IPF drug candidate following encouraging Phase 2 data.
AI-driven drug discovery powerhouse Insilico Medicine has raised $110 million in Series E funding to accelerate its clinical trials and refine its AI platforms. The latest funding reportedly valued the company at over $1 billion, marking its entry into the exclusive unicorn club.
CEO Alex Zhavoronkov has stated that the funding will accelerate the development of Insilico’s pipeline and AI platform while supporting the company’s mission of extending healthy longevity. Insilico’s portfolio includes 30 drug candidates, with 10 having secured FDA clearance for human studies. The company claims its AI-driven approach reduces drug design timelines to an average of 13 months.
The proceeds will be allocated to advancing pivotal clinical trials for Rentosertib, Insilico’s lead drug candidate targeting idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, as well as refining AI models and algorithms for drug discovery and expanding its robotics lab to streamline research and development processes.
Developed entirely using Insilico’s proprietary AI platform, Rentosertib targets TNIK (TRAF2 and NCK-interacting kinase), a key player in fibrosis development. It is believed to be the first investigational drug discovered through generative AI for both its biological target and therapeutic compound. Last year a Phase 2a trial of Rentosertib in China showed dose-dependent improvements in lung capacity and quality-of-life scores for IPF patients after three months.
Insilico has had a busy 2025 already, recently unveiling Supervisor, a humanoid robot capable of mimicking human scientists’ movements to perform laboratory tasks like pipetting and reagent handling. The initiative aims to reduce manual intervention and integrate experimental data directly into Insilico’s platform for enhanced drug discovery efficiency.
The company also recently partnered with Tenacia Biotechnology to develop CNS therapeutics, focusing on creating blood-brain barrier penetrable small molecule inhibitors for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy, and entered a second exclusive licensing agreement with Menarini Group for a preclinical small molecule targeting cancers with high unmet needs.
The latest funding round was led by Hong Kong-based Value Partners, with participation from Warburg Pincus, OrbiMed Advisors and Eli Lilly’s venture arm, among others.
Photograph courtesy of Insilico Medicine