5Y News | AI+RNA Startup ReviR Therapeutics Closes Tens of Millions of Dollars in Pre-A Round
Using AI algorithms and gene technology to drive targeted RNA drug development.
On January 17, 2022, AI+RNA startup ReviR Therapeutics (hereinafter referred to as ReviR) announced the completion of a Pre-A funding round totaling tens of millions of dollars. The round was led by Shunwei Capital, Sky9 Capital, and Tiantu Capital, with pro-rata follow-on investments from existing shareholders 5Y Capital and CDH Investments' VGC unit — the same investors who had backed the company's angel round in May 2021.
The proceeds will be used to advance the evaluation and validation of ReviR's proprietary voyageR™ AI technology platform. By combining machine learning with advanced RNA biology R&D capabilities, ReviR aims to accelerate candidate compound screening and development, laying groundwork for broader clinical applications.
Jing Xu, Managing Director at 5Y Capital, commented: "As sequencing technology converges with information technology, the discovery of new targets and first-in-class drugs is increasingly becoming an engineering problem — one of mathematical physics — aided by high-throughput experimental tools. This promises to free us from the old paradigm of massive, long-term fundamental life science research. RNA targets represent a vast, untapped treasure trove. Only now do we have the systematic toolset to decode and exploit them. I believe ReviR's team experience and technical capabilities can make outstanding contributions to drug development in this blue-ocean opportunity."
Founded in May 2021, ReviR is dedicated to AI algorithm and gene technology-driven drug discovery targeting RNA, addressing long-unmet clinical needs in oncology, infectious diseases, and rare diseases.
In recent years, small-molecule drug R&D targeting RNA has attracted considerable attention from pharmaceutical companies due to its distinctive advantages and broad prospects in tackling "undruggable" targets. Compared to proteins, RNA is more readily digitized thanks to the super-Moore's-Law advancement of high-throughput nucleic acid sequencing technologies.
ReviR and its core technical team focus on computational analysis of RNA spatial structures, using algorithms and large-scale sequencing to parse RNA architecture. They develop small-molecule drugs that bind to "pockets" in RNA structures — their active sites — to block cleavage and translation mechanisms, thereby treating disease and achieving breakthroughs against protein-level "undruggable" targets.
Dr. Yang Li, Co-founder and Chairman of ReviR, said: "AI, RNA biology, and high-throughput drug screening technologies have advanced rapidly in recent years. ReviR brings together frontier talent across all three directions to develop innovative drugs for unmet clinical needs. In less than a year since founding, our teams in Silicon Valley and Shenzhen have grown quickly. We are deeply grateful to our investors for their confidence in the AI+RNA direction and their recognition of our team."
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