Swiss-based InVirtuoLabs raises €2.85M to accelerate drug development with AI

Lugano, Switzerland-based InVirtuoLabs, a new-gen lab for drug discovery, has secured €2.85M in its first funding round.

The company will use the funds to drastically reduce the time and cost of drug development, making treatments more accessible.

In the next 18 months, the startup plans rapid expansion, to strengthen the team, initiate strategic collaborations, and expand the capabilities of the platform.

InVirtuoLabs: A new-gen lab for drug discovery

Founded by Gianvito Grasso and Sertac Yeltekin, InVirtuoLabs designs novel drugs by combining advanced machine learning techniques with physics-based simulations to rapidly identify and optimise promising drug candidates.

“The integration of artificial intelligence, chemistry, and molecular biophysics is radically changing the way we develop drugs,” says Gianvito Grasso, Founder and CEO of InVirtuoLabs, and Researcher & Lecturer at IDSIA–Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (USI-SUPSI).

At the core of InVirtuoLabs’ solution is the Next Generation Virtual Lab, a proprietary platform that uses AI and molecular modeling to identify and optimise drugs with proven precision.

“Our system is not limited to analysing existing data, but generates and tests billions of new molecules, identifying the best ones for efficacy and safety. In particular, we want to accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases, an area still lacking adequate solutions,” adds Grasso.

Consequently, this allows for doubling success rates compared to current research methods, drastically reducing both costs, currently exceeding €2.4B per drug, and development times, averaging 12 years.

The company’s first major achievement was creating a new protocol for developing drugs that target nuclear receptors and important proteins that control processes like metabolism, cell growth, and inflammation.

These receptors are related to over 100 diseases, including metabolic disorders and some cancers.

The company is using this protocol to focus on a receptor associated with common metabolic diseases to speed up the discovery of new treatments.

“Since inception, we’ve been adjusting our models while engaging with biotech and pharmaceutical companies of all sizes,” adds Demet Olesen, InVirtuoLabs’ CCO. “These early conversations not only help us sharpen our technology but also ensure we’re addressing real-world industry needs. Staying closely connected to potential partners keeps us at the forefront of innovation and accelerates our ability to deliver transformative solutions.”

“Our vision is clear: to democratise access to innovative therapies, making drug discovery faster, more precise, and economically sustainable,” concludes Grasso.