CHICAGO — Grove Biopharma, a biotech company focused on unlocking new therapeutic options for previously untreatable intracellular targets, has closed a $30 million Series A funding round to advance its proprietary Bionic Biologics™ platform. The financing, led by DCVC Bio with participation from Eli Lilly and Company, InVivium Capital, Walder Ventures, Gradiant Corporation, Mansueto Investments, and existing seed investor Portal Innovations, will support the company’s efforts to push its lead oncology programs toward clinical development.
Grove Biopharma’s Bionic Biologics represent a new class of synthetic therapeutics designed to overcome the limitations of traditional biologics and small molecules. By integrating elements of biologic and synthetic drug design, the platform creates fully synthetic, cell-penetrant, protein-scale molecules capable of targeting previously inaccessible intracellular protein-protein interactions.
Co-founder and CEO Geoffrey Duyk, M.D., Ph.D., described the company’s approach as a paradigm shift in drug development. “We are focused on developing treatments for serious diseases where the underlying biology is well understood, but where conventional drug modalities have failed,” he said. “Our Bionic Biologics platform allows us to develop molecules that can selectively disrupt or degrade even the most challenging intracellular targets.”
The company’s therapeutic strategy is grounded in technology developed in the lab of Scientific Founder Nathan Gianneschi, Ph.D., a professor at Northwestern University. Gianneschi noted that the vast majority of cellular processes are governed by protein-protein interactions, many of which are involved in disease but remain undruggable using current approaches. “Bionic Biologics offer a powerful new method for addressing these targets by combining synthetic chemistry, AI-driven design, and modular construction techniques,” he said.
Grove’s lead program targets androgen receptor signaling in castrate-resistant prostate cancer, one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant forms of the disease. The company has demonstrated in vivo proof-of-concept and is moving toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) application.
Kiersten Stead, Ph.D., managing partner at DCVC Bio and a Grove board member, emphasized the platform’s potential to reshape the therapeutic landscape. “Grove is addressing one of the greatest challenges in drug development — intracellular protein-protein interactions — with a fundamentally new approach rooted in synthetic biology,” she said. “We believe Bionic Biologics can open entirely new frontiers in medicine.”
The Grove team combines expertise in chemistry, biology, materials science, and drug development, including leadership from Co-Founder and CTO Paul Bertin, Ph.D., and Chief Scientific Officer Robert Campbell, Ph.D. Together, they are working to bring this innovative platform to bear on some of the most difficult challenges in oncology and neurodegenerative disease, with the goal of delivering first-in-class therapies and improving patient outcomes.
