South Korea-based biotechnology firm Galux, which focuses on de novo protein design for drug discovery, has completed a Series B financing round totaling USD 29 million (KRW 42 billion). The company combines deep learning with physical principles of protein folding to create therapeutic proteins from scratch, targeting technically challenging areas such as antibody design. This latest capital injection brings the total funding accrued by the company to USD 47 million.
The funding round was supported by a group of existing and new institutional backers. InterVest, DAYLI Partners, and PATHWAY Investment participated as existing investors, while the round also included new participants such as Yuanta Investment, Korea Development Bank (KDB), SL Investment, NCORE Ventures, SneakPeek Investments, Korea Investment & Securities, and Mirae Asset Securities. The company said it plans to use the proceeds to enhance its artificial intelligence platform, expand research and development infrastructure, and accelerate the preclinical validation of its proprietary pipelines.
Galux is built around its proprietary GaluxDesign platform, which specializes in the de novo design of antibodies. The platform utilizes AI to generate high-affinity antibodies against specific therapeutic targets, which the company said have demonstrated structural consistency with results obtained via cryo-EM experimental structures. This rational design approach is intended to move beyond simple binder discovery to incorporate functional activity and developability. The company’s development strategy targets complex classes including G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels. Galux has established several strategic co-development partnerships, including agreements with Celltrion, LG Chem, and a research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim.
The company is led by CEO Cha-ok Seok, who is a professor at Seoul National University and a specialist in computational protein modeling. The underlying science of Galux is derived from research conducted at Seoul National University, with the company operating as a spinout intended to commercialize advanced protein-folding algorithms. Prior to the current Series B, Galux closed an USD 18 million Series A financing round in 2022. The company’s lead candidates currently remain in the preclinical stage as it continues to validate its AI-designed molecules through internal wet lab feedback loops.