LifeMine secures $263M to advance fungal-derived organ transplant drug

LifeMine Therapeutics announced it has closed two venture financings that together raised $263 million. The capital will be used to push its experimental therapy, LIFE-001, further along the development pathway for preventing organ rejection.

The candidate was discovered by systematically mining fungal genomes, a method that previously produced antibiotics and immunosuppressants. LIFE-001 targets the enzyme calcineurin, which is difficult to drug, and aims to offer a safer alternative to existing calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus and cyclosporine.

With the new funding, the company plans to move the drug into later‑stage clinical trials, positioning it as a potential improvement over current immunosuppressive regimens for transplant patients.