Undecimal raises $18M to take siRNA beyond the liver
Undecimal Bio has launched with $18 million (about €16 million) in seed funding to develop delivery molecules that carry gene-silencing medicines beyond the liver, initially targeting kidney and vascular tissues.
The spinout from Eleven Therapeutics operates in Cambridge, England, and Tel Aviv, Israel. 4BIO Capital and IQ Capital co-led the round, joined by Verve Ventures, Harel Tech, Entree Capital, Kerna Ventures and Saras Capital.
Why it matters: Small interfering RNA, or siRNA, medicines silence specific genes to reduce production of disease-associated proteins. Delivery technologies such as GalNAc, a sugar-based targeting molecule, have made liver cells accessible, but reaching other tissues remains a major hurdle.
- Undecimal aims to find equivalent delivery molecules for other cell types, potentially expanding the range of diseases these medicines can treat.
Backstory: Eleven Therapeutics is splitting into two companies. ScionxBio launched in July to develop long-acting RNA medicines for cardiometabolic diseases, led by Eleven’s former chief technology officer, Adi Gilboa-Geffen. Undecimal will take forward its siRNA delivery platform. Yaniv Erlich, who co-founded Eleven Therapeutics with Adi Gilboa-Geffen, will now lead Undecimal as its CEO.
How it works: Its DELiveri platform screens large libraries of chemical compounds to identify molecules that could be attached to siRNA and carry it into target cells. According to Undecimal, this “high throughput data is analysed by agentic AI to decode the resulting structure-activity data and identify conjugates capable of carrying siRNA into target cells.”
What they’re saying: “The hard problem in RNAi was never the silencing, it was getting the molecule to the right cell,” said Erlich. “Our in-vivo validated DELiveri platform can screen large chemical spaces at an unprecedented pace, generating massive data for our legions of AI agents to decipher the structure-activity relationship and score the best candidates.”
Zoom in: Undecimal’s first programs focus on renovascular diseases, with delivery to kidney and vascular tissues. The goal is to silence genes driving disease, although the company has not disclosed specific indications, molecular targets or drug candidates.
- The financing will support platform development, those initial programs and team expansion at its laboratories in the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.
Also notable: Undecimal says it has entered several research collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies. It has not named the partners or disclosed the scope or financial terms.
