SYNB021225

Beijing-based Syneron Bio has closed a USD 150 million Series B financing round to advance its macrocyclic peptide drug discovery platform and accelerate its pipeline toward clinical development across oncology, autoimmune, metabolic, and rare diseases. The round was co-led by an unnamed international life sciences fund, Decheng Capital, and CDH VGC. Additional participants included a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, True Light Capital — an independent subsidiary of Temasek — Qiming Venture Partners, and BioTrack Capital. Existing shareholders AstraZeneca, LAV, Sinovation Capital, 5Y Capital, GL Ventures, Biotech Development Fund, and Lenovo Capital also participated. The company said proceeds will fund further development of its proprietary Synova platform and advance pipeline programs into clinical stages. Syneron Bio’s pipeline is built entirely on the Synova platform, an AI-driven macrocyclic peptide discovery engine designed to identify drug candidates capable of engaging protein targets that have historically resisted conventional small molecule or biologic approaches. Macrocyclic peptides occupy a structural middle ground between small molecules and biologics — their cyclic backbone architecture confers conformational rigidity that reduces the entropic cost of target binding, while chemical modifications such as N-methylation of amide bonds can enable membrane permeability and oral bioavailability despite molecular weights that exceed standard medicinal chemistry guidelines. The company’s two disclosed preclinical candidates both sit in oncology. SYNB021225 is designed as an orally bioavailable pan-KRAS inhibitor, targeting multiple KRAS mutant variants — a broader approach than the allele-specific inhibitors currently approved. SYNB011128 is a preclinical-stage bispecific peptide-drug conjugate targeting both EGFR and carbonic anhydrase IX, a protein associated with hypoxic tumour microenvironments. Data on both candidates have been presented at the AACR Annual Meeting, though neither has entered clinical trials based on currently available information. The platform has drawn external validation through a March 2025 research collaboration and licensing agreement with AstraZeneca, structured around access to Synova for the discovery of macrocyclic peptide candidates in chronic diseases. That deal carries potential milestone payments of up to USD 3.4 billion, with tiered royalties on any commercialized products, as well as an equity investment from AstraZeneca in Syneron stock (specifics not disclosed). The UK giant’s continued participation in the Series B round reflects the ongoing nature of that arrangement. The macrocyclic peptide space has attracted sustained attention in recent years, with companies such as Bicycle Therapeutics pursuing related constrained peptide approaches in oncology, though Syneron Bio’s focus on oral bioavailability and intracellular targets including KRAS positions it in a distinct segment of that landscape. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website