Focus: AI-designed therapeutic antibodies targeting GPCRs and ion channels — historically “undruggable” protein classes

Problem: ~220 disease-linked GPCRs with zero antibody drugs; targets sit too close to cell membrane for conventional discovery

Approach: Generative ML models trained on 7 years of GPCR structural data; de novo antibody library design with lab-in-the-loop validation; target-to-functional-antibody in under 4 months

Lead Programs: Internal GPCR antibody pipeline (preclinical); Nxera Pharma collaboration (GPCR agonist design); Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFTR extracellular targeting)

Backing: $9.3M Series A led by Soulmates Ventures; >$20M total raised; CFF research agreement

Leadership: Murat Tunaboylu (CEO, Co-Founder) — bioinformatics, ex-Thermo Fisher, ex-Deep Science Ventures

Antiverse uses generative AI to design antibodies against GPCRs and ion channels — two target classes that sit so flush against the cell membrane that conventional discovery methods can barely reach them. Despite a third of all FDA-approved drugs targeting GPCRs, almost no therapeutic antibodies exist for this class. Antiverse’s ML models generate de novo libraries from structural data, producing functional nanomolar-affinity binders in under four months.

The Cardiff-based platform has validated across top-20 pharma collaborations, a multi-target deal with Nxera Pharma for GPCR agonist antibodies, and a new research agreement with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation targeting the extracellular region of CFTR — a historically intractable antibody target. Total funding now exceeds $20M, with internal assets advancing toward in vivo efficacy studies.

Internal GPCR Antibody Pipeline

Wholly-owned GPCR-targeting antibodies with confirmed nanomolar affinity. Advancing toward in vivo efficacy studies. First candidates expected in later-stage preclinical by 2027.

Nxera Pharma — GPCR Agonist Antibody Design

Multi-target partnership combining Antiverse’s generative AI with Nxera’s NxWave™ GPCR structural platform. Designing agonistic antibodies for a challenging GPCR target.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — CFTR Antibody Design

Research agreement to design antibodies targeting the extracellular region of CFTR — a target conventional methods have failed to drug. Candidates validated in CFF’s natively expressing cell models.

Company	Approach	Stage	Differentiator
Antiverse	AI de novo antibody design	Preclinical	7 years GPCR-specific ML training; sub-4-month timelines; CFF partnership
Nabla Bio	AI antibody design (test-time scaling)	Preclinical	First AI-designed GPCR agonist antibody; 8 validated targets including CXCR7
Absci	Zero-shot generative AI + wet lab loop	Phase 1	ABS-101 (anti-TL1A, IBD) in clinic; AstraZeneca partnership; 3M designs/week throughput
Septerna	Small molecule GPCR platform (not antibody)	Phase 1	$288M IPO; $2.2B Novo Nordisk deal; oral GPCR agonists, different modality entirely
Xaira Therapeutics	Diffusion model biologics design	Preclinical	$1B+ launch funding; David Baker co-founded; broad biologics, not GPCR-specific
leadXpro	Structure-based GPCR CRO	Services	150+ projects, 90+ membrane proteins; cryo-EM/X-ray; no proprietary therapeutics

The antibody therapeutics market exceeded $200B in 2024, yet an entire class of validated drug targets — GPCRs and ion channels — remains almost entirely undrugged by biologics. The AI antibody discovery market itself is projected to grow from $470M to over $3B by 2034. Platforms that can reliably generate functional antibodies against membrane-proximal targets are positioned to become infrastructure for next-generation pharma partnerships — and the early deals (Absci-AstraZeneca, Sanofi-BioMap) show the dollars are already flowing.

The unlock: GPCRs are the most validated drug target class in all of medicine — one-third of FDA-approved drugs target them — but antibody-based approaches have been locked out because these receptors barely protrude from the cell surface. If AI can reliably generate functional GPCR-targeting antibodies, it opens a therapeutic modality against 220+ disease-linked receptors that small molecules have dominated for decades. That’s not incremental — it’s a platform shift.

For investors: Antiverse is the earliest-stage pure play on this thesis with demonstrated platform capability (nanomolar binders, top-20 pharma validation, CFF partnership). The $9.3M Series A is modest — if in vivo efficacy data land in 2027, the Series B story writes itself. The risk is binary: do AI-designed antibodies against GPCRs work in animals? If yes, the partnership value alone could be multiples of today’s valuation.

For pharma BD: Any large pharma with a GPCR-heavy pipeline that has historically been limited to small molecule approaches should be evaluating Antiverse’s platform now — before the Nxera and CFF collaborations generate data that shifts the company’s negotiating position. The sub-four-month discovery timelines mean a pilot program is low-cost and high-signal.

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