An AI drug specialist zeroes in on rare forms of obesity

An article from Emerging biotech An AI drug specialist zeroes in on rare forms of obesity Superluminal Medicines banked $60 million in funding to support development of a drug designed to work similarly to — but potentially be more selective than — Rhythm Pharmaceuticals’ Imcivree. Published Sept. 3, 2026 Gwendolyn Wu Senior Reporter Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google Superluminal Medicines, an AI drug discovery startup, has raised another $60 million to give its first prospect for rare forms of obesity a boost into the clinic, the company said Thursday.

Superluminal specializes in drugs that activate “G protein-coupled receptors” or GPCRs, the target of a host of medicines and a crowded area of startup investment. Its first prospect homes in on a GPCR known as “MC4R,” a protein receptor that controls appetite and energy expenditure. It should enter human testing by the end of the year.

In pursuing MC4R, Superluminal isn’t alone. Rhythm Pharmaceuticals has already brought to market an MC4R-activating medication, Imcivree, for rare genetic forms of obesity. And that drug has shown potential in Prader-Willi syndrome, another uncommon genetic condition that causes an insatiable hunger known as “hyperphagia.” Superluminal has similar ambitions.

The company aims to initially test its treatment on diseases like Bardet-Biedl syndrome and hypothalamic obesity, but could widen its focus to include Prader-Willi and general obesity — where its treatment would be tested alongside GLP-1 drugs — too. Should Superluminal advance its treatment against Prader-Willi, it could face an uphill battle. Vykat XR, developed by Soleno Therapeutics and now sold by Neurocrine Biosciences, treats hyperphagia associated with Prader-Willi.

And other medicines have struggled in testing, among them an experimental treatment from Aardvark Therapeutics that’s now on hold and a drug from Acadia Pharmaceuticals that missed its objectives. Cony D’Cruz, Superluminal’s CEO, said the company’s prospect could prove safer than competing medicines by only affecting certain signaling pathways, but not others. It’s also a daily oral treatment, whereas Vykat and Imcivree as injectable medications.

D’Cruz also added that, while some of Superluminal’s competitors “are pursuing very different biology from ours,” they’ve provided valuable lessons that’ve helped the company design its treatments. “More broadly, these experiences reinforce our view that efficacy alone is not enough,” he wrote. “To meaningfully improve treatment for patients with rare obesity, we believe a therapy ultimately needs to combine meaningful effects on weight and hyperphagia with a safety and tolerability profile that supports chronic use.” BVF Partners led the Series B round and was joined by a mix of biotech and tech investors such as RA Capital Management, Nvidia and Eli Lilly.

Superluminal has now raised $213 million in venture financing to date. It has also inked a partnership with Eli Lilly to find new small molecule drugs for cardiometabolic diseases and obesity. “Bringing together leading healthcare investors alongside existing strategic and technology partners reflects growing confidence in both the company's platform and the team's ability to translate that technology into meaningful clinical programs,” Nandita Shangari, a managing director at RA Capital, said in a statement.

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