Moonwalk raises $70M to move obesity siRNA drug toward the clinic
What's the deal? Moonwalk Biosciences has raised $70 million in a Series B round to advance a pipeline of obesity treatments based on RNA interference. The San Francisco-area biotech plans to take its lead candidate, codenamed MW101, into human testing by the end of 2027.
Who's backing it? The round was co-led by Alpha Wave Global and YK BioventuresDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Eli LillyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Gaorong Ventures, Arch Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Future VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also took part.
Why now? Moonwalk launched in 2024 to mine the epigenome for drugs using gene-editing technology licensed from the Broad Institute. It has since pivoted to small interfering RNA (siRNA), which can silence a gene before it produces troublesome proteins. Chief executive officer Alex Aravanis called the shift "more of an evolution of the story," saying RNAi "would be a faster way for us to bring it to the clinic."
What's the endgame? The company's siRNA drugs target adipose, or body fat, using technology licensed this year from China's Suzhou Siran BiotechnologyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It plans to follow MW101 with more siRNA treatments for obesity and other cardiometabolic diseases.
How is it different? Unlike the GLP-1 drugs that dominate the obesity market, Moonwalk's prospects are not appetite suppressants, which Aravanis said could help avoid gastrointestinal side effects and preserve muscle. Its approach focuses on "increasing the metabolism and lipolysis, which break down fat," he said.
What could go wrong? Moonwalk joins a crowded field of nucleic acid therapies. ADARx Pharmaceuticals has filed for an IPO, while Wave Life Sciences has a siRNA obesity drug in mid-stage testing that fell short of investor expectations despite showing fat reductions.
The signal: At $70 million, the round sits in the top 10% of all US Series B rounds on record. That scale of backing for a still-preclinical siRNA player signals investor appetite for non-GLP-1 approaches to the vast obesity market.
Read more: endpoints.news, finance.yahoo.com
Image credit: Moonwalk Biosciences
