ZHUHAI, China, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rezubio, a China-based biotechnology company founded by former Merck scientists, today announced the closing of a $20 million Series A financing. Proceeds will be used to advance the company’s lead program into Phase 2 clinical development for obesity and diabetes, as well as other programs in IND-enabling stage and early preclinical stage.
The financing was led by Lapam Capital, with participation from Frees Fund and Riverhead Capital.
“This Series A represents an important inflection point for Rezubio,” said Yusheng Xiong, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Rezubio. “Membrane anchoring has the potential to reshape how targeted medicines are designed. Our MADD platform enables highly localized pharmacology for cell-surface targets, including GPCRs, while minimizing systemic exposure. Our gut-targeted GPCR agonist has entered clinical trials in Australia and is expected to provide a critical proof-of-concept for the platform. In parallel, an antagonist targeting a different GPCR for immune and inflammatory diseases will enter Phase 1 clinical development in early 2026.”
A Novel Approach to Tissue-Selective Delivery: Membrane-Anchored Drug Design (MADD)
Rezubio’s MADD platform uses a rationally engineered kinetophore to anchor pharmacophores to the epithelium of target tissues, enabling localized drug activity at the site of action. This approach is designed to deliver:
- Minimal systemic exposure, reducing the risk of off-target and dose-limiting adverse effects
- Enhanced efficacy through enrichment of active compounds around cell-surface target proteins
- Prolonged tissue residence time, supporting less frequent dosing
By addressing limitations of conventional small-molecule and peptide therapeutics—such as the adverse effects and frequent administration—Rezubio aims to improve both therapeutic index and patient compliance.
