9Bio Therapeutics selected by Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and CQDM for strategic investment and acceleration program
Quebec City, QC, June 23, 2025 – 9Bio Therapeutics, a biotechnology company engineering conditionally active biologics to treat cancer, is proud to announce a strategic investment from the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund (Merck GHI) and CQDM. The funding will accelerate the development of 9Bio’s computationally guided discovery platform and pipeline of tumor-selective therapies.
The investment is part of 9Bio’s selection to the competitive Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDSS) program, which provides capital and access to global expertise to high-potential biotech startups. Through this initiative, 9Bio gains not only financial backing, but also direct exposure to Merck’s experts, decision-makers, and international network – paving the way for long-term collaborations. The program is delivered in partnership with Centech, a leading business incubator and innovation hub in Montreal, Quebec.
“Being selected by Merck and CQDM highlights the growing interest in novel approaches to oncology” said Henrique de Carvalho, Co-Founder & CEO of 9Bio Therapeutics. “Their support reinforces confidence in our platform and our vision to develop the next generation of cancer treatments for patients who have few or no options today.”
9Bio’s approach integrates computational biology and structural modeling to engineer therapies that can selectively activate at the tumor site – offering a potential paradigm shift in how biologics are designed and delivered.
“The role of computational biology is evolving beyond tools like machine learning to newer language learning models and neural networks, and being on the forefront of that evolution across regions has the potential to positively impact drug development for the pharma industry,” said David Rubin, Managing Director at Merck Global Health Innovation Fund.
Philipe Gobeil, PhD, Co-Founder, President & CSO of 9Bio added: “We’re building a platform that has the potential to redefine the way biologics are designed and delivered in oncology – and this partnership accelerates our path toward that goal.”
With the backing of a leading global healthcare investor and CQDM, 9Bio is well positioned to advance its platform and pipeline toward the next phase of development. Participation in the MDSS program is non-exclusive, allowing 9Bio to continue building strategic relationships with other pharmaceutical partners and collaborators across the industry. The company is currently in discussions with additional investors to expand its funding round and further accelerate progress toward key preclinical and translational milestones.
Read the official Merck press release here.
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 two discovery-stage therapies: an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting chemoresistant tumor cells and an ADC targeting tumor-subverted immune cells.
About Merck Digital Science Studio
The Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio, or MDSS) is an accelerator program providing mentorship, coaching, training, support, community, and investment to enable the next generation of innovative technologies for drug discovery and development. We invest in disruptive and innovative startups in digital biopharma via a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). The MDS Studio’s unique design and network empowers startups to engage with industry leading partners, who take an active role in development. Learn more by visiting www.mds.studio.
About Merck
At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable, and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information about our operations in Canada, visit www.merck.ca and connect with us on LinkedIn @MerckCanada.
About the 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 Québec and Canadian economy. For more information, consult our website https://cqdm.org/en/ and join us on Twitter/X @CQDM_Canada and LinkedIn.