Helixon

Helixon is an AI-driven biotechnology company founded in June 2021 by Jian Peng, a computational biologist and then-associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who serves as its founder and CEO . The company builds a next-generation AI scientific computing platform integrated with high-throughput experimental biology, aiming to restructure large-molecule drug discovery through machine learning algorithms and iterative AI design-experimental validation loops .

In March 2026, Helixon closed a $787 million financing round that set a new global record for biotech fundraising that year, with existing backers 5Y Capital and Gaorong Ventures continuing to invest across multiple rounds . The company's platform has been validated through extensive partnerships with Sanofi, including cumulative licensing and collaboration agreements exceeding $4.4 billion in potential value, among them a 2025 global exclusive license for autoimmune and inflammatory bowel disease bispecific antibodies HXN-1002 and HXN-1003 worth up to $1.845 billion, and a broader 2026 collaboration on autoimmune and inflammatory disease programs with potential value of up to $2.56 billion .