SeaBeLife
SeaBeLife is a French pre-clinical biotech developing first-in-class small molecules that simultaneously inhibit necroptosis and ferroptosis, with lead candidates SBL01 for acute liver failure and SBL03 for geographic atrophy (dry AMD), pursuing a licensing-based business model targeting pharmaceutical partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersRoscoff, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SeaBeLife does
SeaBeLife is a French pre-clinical biotechnology company founded in March 2019 in Roscoff, Brittany, by CEO Morgane Rousselot (PhD in Biochemistry, UPMC-CNRS-Station Biologique de Roscoff) and CTO Claire Delehouzé (Biotechnology Engineer). The company develops first-in-class small-molecule drug candidates that simultaneously inhibit two regulated cell-death pathways, necroptosis and ferroptosis, anchored on the lead molecule sibiriline (a RIPK1 kinase inhibitor with radical-trapping antioxidant activity). SeaBeLife's pipeline comprises SBL01, an IV-administered candidate for acute liver failure that received EMA Orphan Drug Designation in September 2024; SBL03, a topical ophthalmic gel for geographic atrophy (dry AMD) that showed promising preclinical in vivo results in January 2025; and the earlier-stage SBL-OX family targeting neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's. Discovery is enabled by proprietary marine-derived molecule libraries sourced through a research partnership with the Roscoff Biological Station.
The business operates on a licensing-and-co-development model. SeaBeLife is currently pre-revenue, with no approved or commercialized products. Future revenue is expected to come from out-licensing candidates to large pharmaceutical partners, generating milestone payments during clinical development and royalties upon commercialization. Commercial traction to date is reflected in the December 2025 joint development agreement with Unither Pharmaceuticals for SBL03 formulation and production, alongside consistent capital inflows including approximately €8 million raised since inception from Bpifrance (€1.37M deep-tech grant, 2022), the France 2030 / i-Nov program (€1.5M, April 2024), and a €2M pre-Series A round led by iXLife (October 2025), with multiple Breton and Parisian business angel networks as co-investors. Customers are effectively future enterprise pharmaceutical partners rather than end patients, with first clinical trials targeted for 2026-2027.
SeaBeLife firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SeaBeLife
- Legal name
- SeaBeLife Biotech
- Website
- https://seabelife.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SeaBeLife is a French pre-clinical biotech developing first-in-class small molecules that simultaneously inhibit necroptosis and ferroptosis, with lead candidates SBL01 for acute liver failure and SBL03 for geographic atrophy (dry AMD), pursuing a licensing-based business model targeting pharmaceutical partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SeaBeLife industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pre-clinical biopharmaceutical drug development
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- RNA Therapeutics Clinical Development (trial design, endpoints, patient stratification) (HLAAADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- RNA Therapeutics Safety & Immunogenicity (innate immune activation, tox, off-target) (HLAAADAI)
Keywords
Where SeaBeLife is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roscoff
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
SeaBeLife business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Licensing Revenue: Pre-revenue biotech company. Future revenue expected from licensing drug candidates to pharmaceutical partners, generating milestone payments during development and royalty payments upon commercialization.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
SeaBeLife product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SeaBeLife develops proprietary small-molecule drug candidates that simultaneously block two regulated cell death pathways — necroptosis and ferroptosis — to treat acute, rare, and chronic diseases of major organs. Its lead assets are SBL03, a topical ophthalmic gel for geographic atrophy (dry AMD), and SBL01, an intravenous therapy for acute liver failure that holds EMA Orphan Drug Designation, with earlier-stage programs in neurodegenerative indications.
Product overview
SeaBeLife is a biotechnology company developing two families of patented small molecule drug candidates designed to block regulated necrosis (programmed cell death). The company's first-in-class approach simultaneously targets two major regulated cell death pathways — necroptosis and ferroptosis — addressing major unmet medical needs in acute, rare, and chronic indications. The lead products are SBL03 (ophthalmic gel for geographic atrophy/dry AMD) and SBL01 (IV formulation for acute liver failure), with SBL-OX programs targeting neurodegenerative diseases in earlier development stages. The platform is anchored by the lead molecule sibiriline, which uniquely inhibits both pathways.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SBL01 SBL01 is a first-in-class small-molecule dual inhibitor of necroptosis and ferroptosis administered intravenously for the treatment of acute liver failure. It received Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines Agency in September 2024.
- SBL03 SBL03 is a dual necroptosis/ferroptosis inhibitor formulated as a topical ophthalmic gel for non-invasive delivery to the eye, intended to treat geographic atrophy in dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). It showed promising preclinical in vivo efficacy in early 2025 and is planned to enter clinical trials in 2026.
- SBL-OX / SBL-OXs SBL-OX / SBL-OXs is a family of preclinical dual necroptosis/ferroptosis inhibitor drug candidates being developed for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease. The program is described as 'Drug Discovery in progress' in SeaBeLife's pipeline.
Quantifiable outcome
- Orphan Drug Designation granted by EMA for acute liver failure indication
Companies that use SeaBeLife
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
SeaBeLife technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
SeaBeLife partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Unither PharmaceuticalscoreJoint development agreement for ophthalmic drug candidate. Unither Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical development and manufacturing company, is collaborating with SeaBeLife on the development of their ophthalmic drug candidate, representing a key strategic partnership for advancing the pipeline toward clinical stages.
- Roscoff Biological StationminorResearch partnership for marine biotechnology research and access to marine biological resources for drug discovery purposes.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SeaBeLife competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Apellis developed and commercializes pegcetacoplan (Syfovre), the first FDA-approved treatment for geographic atrophy secondary to dry AMD. It is highly comparable as a direct competitor in SeaBeLife's SBL03 indication, though it is significantly larger and commercially active.
- Iveric Bio (Astellas): Iveric Bio developed avacincaptad pegol (Izervay) for GA, now owned by Astellas. It is a direct competitor to SeaBeLife's SBL03 in geographic atrophy and represents the established second-mover standard of care in the indication.
- BioMarin Pharmaceutical: BioMarin is a global leader in rare disease and orphan specialty pharmaceuticals. It is broadly comparable to SeaBeLife as a benchmark for orphan drug commercial economics, particularly relevant to SBL01's acute liver failure ODD pathway.
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex is a leading small molecule specialty biotech developing transformative therapies for serious diseases. It is broadly comparable to SeaBeLife as a benchmark for value creation from small molecule platforms in specialty and rare disease indications.
Direct peers
- Rigel Pharmaceuticals: Rigel has pioneered clinical-stage RIPK1/necroptosis inhibitor programs (e.g., fostamatinib and earlier-stage candidates). It is one of the closest mechanistic comparables to SeaBeLife in the regulated necrosis pathway, though focused on immunology and hematology.
- Genfit: Genfit is a French-listed biotech developing small molecule therapies for liver diseases including acute and chronic hepatic conditions. It is highly comparable to SeaBeLife as a French specialty liver biotech at a similar stage of pipeline development.
- CytoSorbents: CytoSorbents develops blood purification therapies used in critical care settings including acute liver failure and sepsis. It is comparable to SeaBeLife's SBL01 program in addressing acute liver failure with novel therapeutic approaches.
Emerging players
- Alkeus Pharmaceuticals: Alkeus is developing treatments for retinal degenerative diseases including Stargardt disease and geographic atrophy. It is comparable to SeaBeLife as a focused ophthalmology biotech targeting serious retinal conditions with high unmet need.
- NGM Biopharmaceuticals: NGM Biopharmaceuticals has developed small molecule therapies for retinal and metabolic diseases, including earlier-stage dry AMD programs. It shares SeaBeLife's approach of using small molecules to address ophthalmology indications with high unmet need.
- Inflection Biosciences: Inflection Biosciences is an early-stage biotech working on novel cell death pathway inhibitors including ferroptosis modulators. It is comparable to SeaBeLife as a peer developer of regulated cell death pathway therapeutics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SeaBeLife social profiles
Digital presenceSeaBeLife compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
SeaBeLife financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SeaBeLife leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
SeaBeLife funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SeaBeLife M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SeaBeLife
What does SeaBeLife do?
SeaBeLife develops proprietary small-molecule drug candidates that simultaneously block two regulated cell death pathways — necroptosis and ferroptosis — to treat acute, rare, and chronic diseases of major organs. Its lead assets are SBL03, a topical ophthalmic gel for geographic atrophy (dry AMD), and SBL01, an intravenous therapy for acute liver failure that holds EMA Orphan Drug Designation, with earlier-stage programs in neurodegenerative indications.
Is SeaBeLife a public or private company?
SeaBeLife is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was SeaBeLife founded?
SeaBeLife was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SeaBeLife based?
SeaBeLife is headquartered in Roscoff, France, in the Europe region.
How does SeaBeLife make money?
One revenue line is on record: licensing Revenue.
Who are SeaBeLife's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Iveric Bio (Astellas), BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Direct peers are Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Genfit and CytoSorbents. Emerging players are Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, NGM Biopharmaceuticals and Inflection Biosciences.
Does SeaBeLife have an API?
No public API is recorded for SeaBeLife.
What industry is SeaBeLife in?
SeaBeLife's product category is Pre-clinical biopharmaceutical drug development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAADAH, RNA Therapeutics Clinical Development (trial design, endpoints, patient stratification), with a secondary code of HLAAADAI, RNA Therapeutics Safety & Immunogenicity (innate immune activation, tox, off-target). Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.