Circle Pharma is a technology company.
Circle Pharma has raised $201.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Circle Pharma has raised $201.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Circle Pharma has raised $201.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Circle Pharma's investors include Nextech Invest, The Column Group, Eric Anschutz.
Circle Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation targeted therapies using macrocycles for cancer and other serious illnesses.[1][2][4] It builds oral, cell-permeable macrocycle drugs via its proprietary MXMO™ platform, which combines AI/ML, physics-based simulations, and synthetic chemistry to target undruggable proteins like cyclins.[1][2] The company serves patients with advanced solid tumors and cyclin-driven cancers, solving the problem of ineffective treatments for hard-to-drug cell cycle regulators by creating selective, orally bioavailable inhibitors with reduced side effects.[1][5] Its lead program, CID-078, a cyclin A/B RxL inhibitor, is in Phase 1 trials, with preclinical momentum in cyclin D1 and other programs showing anti-tumor activity.[1][5][6]
Circle Pharma was founded by Matt Jacobson and Scott Lokey, experts who pioneered tools to predict synthetic macrocycle cell permeability.[2] Their academic work on macrocycle properties evolved into the MXMO™ platform, addressing gaps in creating fully synthetic, orally bioavailable macrocycles for undruggable targets like cyclins.[1][2] Early traction came from demonstrating selective binding to challenging targets, leading to a robust pipeline focused on cancer cell cycle drivers.[2][5] Based in South San Francisco, the company has built a leadership team including Dr. Marie Evangelista (SVP, Cancer Biology) and Dr. Borgman (CMO, ex-Sutro Biopharma and Jazz Pharmaceuticals), fueling clinical progress like the ongoing Phase 1 trial for CID-078.[1][5][7]
Circle Pharma rides the wave of AI-driven drug discovery and macrocycle therapeutics, targeting "undruggable" proteins amid rising demand for precision oncology beyond CDK4/6 inhibitors.[1][2][5] Timing aligns with advances in computational chemistry and ML for structure-activity prediction, enabling scalable synthetic macrocycles where natural ones fall short.[2] Market forces like high cancer prevalence, limitations of existing cell cycle drugs (e.g., hematologic toxicities), and Big Pharma interest (Lilly, Boehringer) favor its approach.[1][3][5] It influences the ecosystem by validating macrocycles for oral therapies, potentially expanding to non-oncology undruggable targets and inspiring hybrid biologic-small molecule platforms.[2][4]
Circle Pharma's Phase 1 data for CID-078 and preclinical wins position it for near-term milestones like initial clinical readouts and expanded cyclin programs.[1][5][6] Trends in AI/ML-accelerated drug design and targeted cancer therapies will propel its MXMO™ platform, with partnerships likely yielding more deals and funding. Influence may grow through first approvals in cyclin-driven cancers, redefining oral treatments for solid tumors and beyond, ultimately lightening cancer's burden as envisioned from its founding.[2][4][7]
Circle Pharma has raised $201.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $90.0M Series D in September 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2024 | $90.0M Series D | Nextech Invest, The Column Group, Eric Anschutz | |
| Jun 1, 2021 | $66.0M Series C | Nextech Invest, The Column Group, Eric Anschutz | |
| Mar 1, 2020 | $45.0M Series B | Nextech Invest, The Column Group, Eric Anschutz |