Exclusive: WhiteLab Genomics raises $26M Series B for AI-designed genomic medicines
Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
WhiteLab Genomics, a genomic medicine developer, raised a $26 million Series B, CEO David Del Bourgo tells Axios Pro exclusively.
Follow the money: AVP led the round, joined by Omnes Capital, Yaday Health, Blast Club and Debiopharm Innovation Fund.
- WhiteLab has raised about $37 million to date and has two to three years of runway, Del Bourgo says.
How it works: WhiteLab's proprietary Alfred platform uses AI to design viral and non-viral delivery vehicles and programmable genetic payloads.
- The designs are then experimentally validated and tested in vivo to identify drug candidates.
- The company says its process helps reduce the time and cost of developing genomic medicines.
Zoom in: Rather than taking assets to the clinic, WhiteLab has about 15 revenue-generating partnerships with external biotechs and Big Pharma companies, including Sanofi.
- Other partners include Cytiva, Debiopharm, the University of Massachusetts, the Vision Institute in Paris and the Paris Brain Institute.
What they're saying: "We specialize in what we're very good at doing … bringing preclinical assets to their highest level of validation as possible, and then partnering with pharma," Del Bourgo says.
- "You have the best of both worlds because you are paid for providing the platform, and you are paid in case of success (in) the drug development process," says AVP managing partner François Robinet.
Behind the scenes: Del Bourgo says he is open to being acquired, and that WhiteLab has been approached by potential buyers, but would also consider a U.S. IPO.
Zoom out: The life sciences and biotech fundraising environment has improved this year after a multiyear slump.
By the numbers: Biopharma VC funding topped $10 billion in Q2 — only the third time since early 2022, per PitchBook data.
