9Bio Therapeutics secures strategic funding to advance its oncology pipeline

Quebec City, February 21, 2025 – 9Bio Therapeutics, a biotech company pioneering next-generation oncology therapeutics, is pleased to announce its participation in a $2M project initiative alongside CQDM, IVADO, and two Quebec-based biotech companies. This funding will accelerate the preclinical development of highly targeted, safer cancer therapies, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and structural biology to redefine drug discovery.

The initiative is backed by a $1M grant from the Government of Quebec, awarded through CQDM’s Partenar-IA program, in partnership with IVADO.

This investment will allow 9Bio Therapeutics, Molecular Forecaster, and Aramis Biotechnologies to expand and validate their platforms:

• 9Bio Therapeutics will mobilize its AI-guided structural biology platform to generate highly selective and effective antibodies for oncology applications.
• Molecular Forecaster will deploy its biophysics-based approach, bolstered by machine learning models, to generate small molecules specifically targeting tumor cells.
• Aramis Biotechnologies will manufacture antibodies using its flexible plant-based platform.

While this collaboration brings together synergistic expertise, each company will fully retain its own intellectual property (IP), balancing collaborative development and independent value creation while advancing novel oncology solutions.

“This partnership accelerates 9Bio’s vision to leverage AI and structural biology for a new era of cancer therapeutics. We’re not only expediting drug discovery – we are developing oncology medicines designed to maximize efficacy while minimizing side effects, ultimately improving patient outcomes,” said Henrique de Carvalho, Co-Founder & CEO, 9Bio Therapeutics.

A step toward the future of oncology therapies

Current oncology treatments often lead to significant side effects, with up to 32% of patients discontinuing treatment or opting for less effective alternatives (1). This collaboration aims to develop next-generation precision therapies that enhance patient outcomes while maximizing commercial viability and pipeline scalability.

Positioning 9Bio for rapid growth in oncology innovation

9Bio’s AI-guided structural biology platform is designed to overcome key limitations of existing biologics, enabling:

• Reduced off-tumor binding, minimizing side effects
• Improved bioavailability, enhancing therapeutic efficacy
• Novel therapeutic modalities, unlocking new treatment opportunities

“By integrating AI-driven structural biology with advanced molecular modeling, 9Bio is transforming the way oncology biologics are designed. Our technology enables the precise engineering of therapeutic molecules that selectively target tumors while minimizing off-target effects, addressing a critical challenge in cancer treatment,” said Philipe Gobeil, Co-Founder, President & CSO, 9Bio Therapeutics.

Read the official CQDM press release here.

Reference:       
(1) Holmstroem et al., Eur J. Cancer, 2024

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About 9Bio Therapeutics

9Bio Therapeutics is a biotech company committed to developing innovative oncology therapeutics. Our AI-guided structural biology platform integrates anatomical and biochemical contexts to design drugs that selectively target tumors. Using this approach, we generate medicines with specificity for tumors that spare healthy tissues, improving safety, efficacy, and opening the door to previously underexploited therapeutic modalities. Our pipeline includes three discovery-stage therapies: an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting tumor cells, an ADC targeting tumor-subverted immune cells, and an engineered cytokine.

About Aramis Biotechnologies

Based in Quebec City, Aramis Biotechnologies is a Canadian company founded in 2023 that specializes in plant-based production of innovative vaccines. As a majority employee-owned company, Aramis’ ambition is to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to current and future public health challenges. The Aramis’ team is grateful for the support from Innovation, Sciences and Economic Development Canada, from the City of Quebec and from its group of private investors. Learn more at https://aramisbiotechnologies.com/en/.

About CQDM

Biopharma Innovation Facilitator
CQDM is a not-for-profit biopharmaceutical research consortium whose mission is to support and facilitate collaborative multi-stakeholder research and development aimed at accelerating the translation or transformation of innovative technologies into solutions to unmet medical needs, while generating significant benefits for the Quebec and Canadian economy. For more information, consult our website  https://cqdm.org/en/ and join us on Twitter/X @CQDM_Canada and LinkedIn.

Partenar-IA is a program providing direct support to Quebec companies for collaborative biopharmaceutical R&D projects based on artificial intelligence and applicable to the biopharmaceutical sector.

About IVADO

IVADO is an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral research and knowledge mobilization consortium whose mission is to develop and promote a robust, reasoning and responsible AI. Led by Université de Montréal with four university partners (Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, Université Laval and McGill University), IVADO brings together research centers, government bodies and industry members to co-build ambitious cross-sectoral initiatives with the goal of fostering a paradigm shift for AI and its adoption. For more information, please visit our website at https://ivado.ca/en/.

About Molecular Forecaster

Molecular Forecaster Inc. (MFI) is helping organizations make smarter decisions in small molecule drug design. MFI uses a highly collaborative research-as-a-service to transform data into insight to accelerate preclinical pharmaceutical programs around the world. The company is a go-to partner in small molecule drug design, combining proprietary tools and technology, expertise and know-how, and an all-in approach to collaboration to advance only the best shots on goal. Learn more at https://molecularforecaster.com/

 

Read the original press release