Drug Farm
Drug Farm is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that uses proprietary in vivo genetics (IDInVivo⁺) and deep learning (MedChem5) platforms to discover and develop first-in-class immune-modulating therapies for hepatitis B, rare autoinflammatory diseases, and cancer.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Drug Farm does
Drug Farm is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, with operations in Albany, New York. The company combines two proprietary technology platforms—IDInVivo⁺, which uses piggyBac transposon mutagenesis to generate libraries of genetic mutations in mice for in vivo identification of novel drug targets in animals with intact immune systems, and MedChem5, a deep learning platform intended to accelerate medicinal chemistry optimization and first-in-class drug development. Applying these platforms, Drug Farm has built a pipeline of six drug candidates: DF-006 (hepatitis B and hepatocellular cancer), DF-003 (cardio-renal disease and ROSAH syndrome; first-in-class ALPK1 inhibitor), DF-004 (colitis), DF-005 (Alzheimer's disease), DF-007 (cancer), and DF-X1 (colitis/cancer).
The company's most clinically advanced asset, DF-003, has completed a Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers and is accruing patients in a Phase 1b trial for ROSAH syndrome, a rare genetically driven systemic autoinflammatory disease with no approved disease-modifying therapy. In March 2026, DF-003 received FDA Orphan Drug Designation (conferring up to seven years of U.S. market exclusivity, fee waivers, and tax credits) and was accepted into the FDA Rare Disease Evidence Principles Process (RDEP). Drug Farm is privately held and venture-backed, having raised approximately $83 million across a $56 million Series B in February 2021 (investors include WuXi AppTec, BVCF, DT Capital Partners, and South China Venture Capital) and a $27 million Series C in May 2023 led by YD Capital.
Drug Farm's business model is that of a pre-revenue clinical-stage biopharmaceutical developer: the company has no marketed products, no disclosed pricing, and no commercial revenue. Operating expenses are funded by equity capital, with future monetization expected through potential partnerships, out-licensing, or eventual product commercialization. The company employs 51-100 staff, led by Founder and Chair Tian Xu (Ph.D.), Co-founder and COO Tony Xu (Ph.D.), and CEO Henri Lichenstein (Ph.D.). End-patient populations include those with infectious diseases (hepatitis B), immunological/inflammatory conditions (colitis, ROSAH syndrome), cardio-renal disease, neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer's), and oncology indications, though in a clinical-stage context these are therapeutic targets rather than commercial customers.
Drug Farm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Drug Farm
- Legal name
- Shanghai Yaoyuan Shengwu Technology Co., Ltd. (上海药苑生物科技有限公司)
- Website
- https://drug-farm.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Drug Farm is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that uses proprietary in vivo genetics (IDInVivo⁺) and deep learning (MedChem5) platforms to discover and develop first-in-class immune-modulating therapies for hepatitis B, rare autoinflammatory diseases, and cancer.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Drug Farm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Drug Farm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain
Drug Farm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Drug Farm is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops first-in-class immune-modulating drug candidates using two proprietary platforms: IDInVivo+, which uses piggyBac transposon mutagenesis in mice to identify novel drug targets connected to host immunity, and MedChem5, which applies deep learning to accelerate first-in-class drug development. Its pipeline includes candidates for hepatitis B, hepatocellular cancer, cardio-renal disease, ROSAH syndrome, colitis, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Product overview
Drug Farm is a biopharmaceutical company that operates two integrated technology platforms: IDInVivo⁺ for novel target discovery using genetic screens in living animals, and MedChem5 for accelerating drug development using deep learning. Combining these platforms, the company has identified novel immunity targets and developed first-in-class drug candidates including DF-006 (hepatitis B/hepatocellular cancer), DF-003 (cardio-renal disease/ROSAH syndrome), DF-004 (colitis), DF-005 (Alzheimer's), DF-007 (cancer), and DF-X1 (cancer). The company's therapeutic focus areas include infection, immunological diseases, and oncology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DF-006
Companies that use Drug Farm
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Drug Farm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature2 records
Drug Farm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Drug Farm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biotech combining high-throughput biology, robotics, and AI/ML to discover and develop novel therapeutics at scale. Directly comparable to Drug Farm as a platform biotech using AI/computational approaches to identify novel drug targets and advance first-in-class candidates into the clinic.
- Insitro: Machine learning-driven drug discovery company combining wet-lab biology with AI to predict drug behavior and identify novel targets. Highly comparable to Drug Farm's MedChem5 platform and overall thesis of using AI to accelerate first-in-class drug development.
- Schrödinger, Inc. Computational chemistry and predictive software platform for drug discovery, with an internal pipeline of novel therapeutics. Comparable to Drug Farm as a platform company using computational/AI methods (analogous to MedChem5) to develop first-in-class drug candidates.
- Generate Biomedicines: Generative AI biology company designing novel protein therapeutics computationally. Comparable to Drug Farm in combining AI with biology to produce first-in-class drug candidates, though focused on biologics while Drug Farm pursues small-molecule and biologic candidates.
- AbCellera Biologics: Antibody discovery platform using data science and AI to identify novel therapeutic candidates from natural immune repertoires. Comparable to Drug Farm as a platform biotech using proprietary screening/diversity-generation technology (analogous to IDInVivo+) to feed a clinical pipeline.
- Aligos Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing therapies for chronic hepatitis B and other viral diseases. Direct peer for Drug Farm's DF-006 program in HBV/hepatocellular cancer, pursuing novel mechanisms to address the same large unmet need.
- Arbutus Biopharma: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B. Direct peer to Drug Farm's DF-006 HBV program, with overlapping therapeutic area and indication focus.
- Brii Biosciences: China-based clinical-stage biotech developing therapeutics for infectious diseases (including HBV) and central nervous system disorders. Direct peer to Drug Farm as a China-domiciled biotech pursuing similar infectious and immunological indications with global clinical ambitions.
Regional players
- Zai Lab: China-US headquartered biotech developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics, with particular focus on oncology, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. Comparable to Drug Farm in bridging China and US clinical/commercial development, though broader in scope and further along commercially.
Broad incumbents
- BeiGene: Global oncology-focused biotechnology company headquartered in China with major US operations. Broader incumbent peer to Drug Farm given shared China-US structure and clinical-stage biotech focus, though BeiGene has commercialized products and operates at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Drug Farm social profiles
Digital presenceDrug Farm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Drug Farm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Drug Farm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Drug Farm M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Drug Farm
What does Drug Farm do?
Drug Farm is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops first-in-class immune-modulating drug candidates using two proprietary platforms: IDInVivo+, which uses piggyBac transposon mutagenesis in mice to identify novel drug targets connected to host immunity, and MedChem5, which applies deep learning to accelerate first-in-class drug development. Its pipeline includes candidates for hepatitis B, hepatocellular cancer, cardio-renal disease, ROSAH syndrome, colitis, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Is Drug Farm a public or private company?
Drug Farm is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Drug Farm founded?
Drug Farm was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Drug Farm based?
Drug Farm is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
Who are Drug Farm's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Insitro, Schrödinger, Inc., Generate Biomedicines, AbCellera Biologics, Aligos Therapeutics, Arbutus Biopharma and Brii Biosciences. Zai Lab is listed as a regional player. BeiGene is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Drug Farm have an API?
No public API is recorded for Drug Farm.