Helixon Therapeutics (华深智药)

Beijing AI antibody company, with Earendil Labs as its overseas arm. It has sold two bispecifics to Sanofi and raised US$787M in 2026.

1. Core Product / Service

Helixon was founded in Beijing in June 2021 [2]. It designs and optimizes antibodies and bispecific antibodies, mainly for autoimmune and inflammatory bowel disease. Its overseas affiliate, Earendil Labs, signs the Western deals [3]. The company says its AI platform has produced more than 40 research programs [1].

Pipeline.

• HXN-1001. A half-life-extended anti-TL1A antibody; the company cites a half-life of about 8 weeks at target doses. The first ulcerative colitis patient was dosed in a Phase IIa trial on 2 April 2026, and a healthy-volunteer Phase I in Australia had completed enrollment [5].
• HXN-1002 / HXN-1003. Bispecifics for IBD and autoimmune disease, out-licensed to Sanofi. HXN-1002 targets α4β7 and TL1A [3][4].
• Several further programs are slated for IND filings in 2026–2027 [1].

Wet-lab model. In 2022 the company said its algorithms were integrated into "high-throughput experimental platforms", forming a closed loop of AI design and experimental validation [2]. The Sanofi release likewise credits a "proprietary AI and high-throughput discovery and research platform" [3]. A US subsidiary, Helixon US Inc., hires on-site scientists in Champaign, Illinois [6]. Lab size, Beijing site details and any use of antibody CROs are not disclosed.

2. Target Users & Pain Points

• Large pharma buying clinical-ready biologics. Sanofi has paid for assets, not platform access. Helixon's pitch is that AI-guided optimization yields antibodies with better potency and longer half-life (fewer injections) faster than conventional campaigns.
• Patients with IBD and autoimmune disease. TL1A is a crowded target. Differentiation comes from dosing interval and from bispecific combinations, not from novelty of the target.

3. Competitive Landscape

4. Unique Observations

• It is the capital outlier of its cohort. Among Chinese AI-native drug companies founded in 2018–2022 with their own pipelines, Helixon's cumulative funding (roughly US$860M or more) about equals the combined private funding of the next five peers.
• Asset sales came before the mega-round. The April 2025 Sanofi license had a US$125M upfront payment [3]. The company then closed US$787M in March 2026, with Sanofi among the investors [1].
• "AI-native" here means AI-guided optimization. HXN-1001 hits a known target and improves its properties, notably half-life. That is a different claim from AI discovery of a new target or modality.
• The round's date has been misreported. Some summaries place it in September 2026, but the announcement is dated 23 March 2026 [1][7]. The company calls it "multiple rounds", and databases label it Series B.

5. Financials / Funding

• Total raised: about US$860M or more. Whether the US$787M already includes the Series A is not stated.
• Business development.
  • April 2025 license to Sanofi: US$125M upfront, up to US$1.72B in milestones (including a US$50M near-term payment), and high-single to low-double-digit royalties [3].
  • January 2026 collaboration with Sanofi: up to US$160M in upfront and near-term payments, with total potential value up to US$2.56B [4][7].

6. People & Relationships

• Founder & CEO: 彭健 (Jian Peng), associate professor of computer science at UIUC and 2020 ISCB Overton Prize winner [2]. His current faculty status is not disclosed.
• Co-founder, President & co-CEO: 朱祯平 (Zhenping Zhu), formerly R&D head at 3SBio [1].
• Investors: 5Y Capital, Hillhouse, Dimension, DST Global, Sanofi.
• Peers: metis-techbio, syneron-bio, stonewise, mindrank, revir-therapeutics.

Sources

1. PEdaily (2026 financing) — https://news.pedaily.cn/202603/561971.shtml
2. EqualOcean (Series A) — https://equalocean.com/news/2022062218313-ai-driven-pharmaceutics-company-helixon-raise-cny-500-mn-series-round
3. Cooley (Sanofi license) — https://www.cooley.com/news/coverage/2025/2025-04-17-earendil-labs-announces-worldwide-exclusive-license-agreement-with-sanofi
4. BioSpace — https://www.biospace.com/business/sanofi-bets-more-than-1-8-billion-in-biobucks-on-ai-developed-bispecifics
5. TechNode Global / PR Asia (HXN-1001 Phase IIa) — https://technode.global/prnasia/earendil-labs-announces-first-patient-dosed-in-a-phase-iia-trial-of-a-half-life-extended-anti-tl1a-antibody-hxn-1001-in-patients-with-ulcerative-colitis/
6. UIUC Research Park job listing — https://researchpark.illinois.edu/job/helixon-us-inc-scientist-position-full-time/
7. ChinaVenture — https://m.chinaventure.com.cn/news/111-20260920-393360.html