Avicenna Biosciences
Avicenna Biosciences is a private, pre-clinical biotechnology company founded in 2020 in Durham, United States, developing small-molecule drug candidates targeting ROCK and CSF-1R pathways for neurological diseases (Parkinson's dyskinesia, ALS, MS, CMT 2A) and oncology (B-Cell Lymphomas, Pancreatic Cancer).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Avicenna Biosciences does
Avicenna Biosciences, Inc. is a private, pre-clinical biotechnology company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Durham, United States. The company designs and develops small-molecule drug candidates targeting validated kinase pathways — specifically ROCK (Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinases) and CSF-1R (Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor) — with secondary chemistry efforts on a third undisclosed target. Its pipeline addresses neurological and oncological diseases with significant unmet medical need, including Parkinson's Disease with dyskinesia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT 2A), B-Cell Lymphomas, and Pancreatic Cancer. The most advanced asset (ROCK) has reached in vivo efficacy (PD) stage, while the Target 3 program is at in vivo PK/dose-finding and a CSF-1R program is referenced without a defined stage; a CMT 2A candidate is in discovery.
The company employs between 11 and 50 people and is led by co-founders Pieter Burger (board member) and Thomas Kaiser (Chief Scientific Officer). Avicenna has disclosed three equity financings — $2.5M in 2020, $3.0M in 2022, and $12.0M in 2024 — totaling approximately $17.5M in known capital raised. Its business model is consistent with a pre-clinical biotech: there are no commercial products, no pricing, and no disclosed GTM channels; future revenue is expected to come from pharmaceutical licensing partnerships or eventual drug commercialization, neither of which has yet materialized. Customer-facing activity is limited to a corporate website, with no disclosed enterprise customers, distribution agreements, or commercial partnerships in the source data.
Avicenna Biosciences firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Avicenna Biosciences
- Legal name
- Avicenna Biosciences, Inc.
- Website
- https://avicenna-bio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Avicenna Biosciences is a private, pre-clinical biotechnology company founded in 2020 in Durham, United States, developing small-molecule drug candidates targeting ROCK and CSF-1R pathways for neurological diseases (Parkinson's dyskinesia, ALS, MS, CMT 2A) and oncology (B-Cell Lymphomas, Pancreatic Cancer).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Avicenna Biosciences industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biopharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neurology & CNS Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- In Vivo Discovery & Translational Models Platforms (humanized models, PK/PD, efficacy) (HLAAAIAK), Rare Neurology & Neurodegenerative Disorder Therapies (HLAIAIAD)
Keywords
Where Avicenna Biosciences is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Avicenna Biosciences business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Avicenna Biosciences product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Avicenna Biosciences is a pre-clinical biotechnology company developing proprietary small molecule drug candidates that target the ROCK (Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinase) and CSF-1R (Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor) pathways. The pipeline addresses neurological diseases including Parkinson's Disease with Dyskinesia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A, as well as oncology indications including B-Cell Lymphomas and Pancreatic Cancer.
Product overview
Avicenna Biosciences is a biotechnology company developing a pipeline of drug candidates for neurological disorders and oncology. The company has two primary development candidates (ROCK and additional leads) targeting Parkinson's Disease with Dyskinesia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, B-Cell Lymphomas, Pancreatic Cancer, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A. The pipeline spans multiple stages from discovery through in vivo efficacy and IND-enabling studies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ROCK Inhibitor (Rho kinase inhibitor) Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor drug candidate in development for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease with Dyskinesia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The candidate has reached in vivo efficacy (PD) stage.
- CSF-1R Inhibitor (Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor inhibitor) Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor drug candidate targeting Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) through modulation of neuroinflammation pathways.
- Target 3 Program Drug development candidate targeting B-Cell Lymphomas and Pancreatic Cancer, currently at the in vivo PK / dose-finding stage of preclinical development.
- CMT 2A Candidate Discovery-stage drug candidate for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A, part of the company's additional lead programs in neurological disease.
Companies that use Avicenna Biosciences
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Avicenna Biosciences technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Avicenna Biosciences partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Avicenna Biosciences competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Established biopharma developing RNA-targeted therapeutics with a strong CNS franchise including ALS and SMA treatments. Comparable as a major player in neurological disease drug development, though with a different therapeutic modality.
- Biogen: Large established biopharmaceutical company with deep CNS pipeline including ALS (e.g., tofersen) and multiple sclerosis assets. Comparable as a major player in the same disease areas Avicenna is pursuing, though with significantly greater scale and clinical maturity.
Direct peers
- Praxis Precision Medicines: Clinical-stage biotech developing small-molecule therapies for CNS disorders including epilepsy and essential tremor. Comparable as a multi-program, small-molecule-focused CNS company targeting rare and movement disorders.
- Sage Therapeutics: CNS specialty pharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Directly comparable as a neurology-focused small-molecule biotech targeting high-unmet-need CNS conditions.
- Acadia Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharma focused on neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease psychosis and Rett syndrome. Comparable as a small-molecule developer focused exclusively on CNS indications with high unmet need.
- Cerevel Therapeutics: Clinical-stage neuroscience-focused biotech developing small-molecule therapies for Parkinson's, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. Directly comparable as a CNS-focused small-molecule developer with multiple programs in movement disorders.
- Denali Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing small-molecule and biologic therapeutics for neurodegeneration and lysosomal storage diseases. Highly comparable as a neuroscience-focused small-molecule developer pursuing ALS, Parkinson's, and related indications.
- Alector: Clinical-stage biotech developing immuno-neurology therapeutics for neurodegeneration, including ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Comparable neuroscience pipeline with multiple CNS programs and a similar multi-target strategy.
Emerging players
- Kymera Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing small-molecule protein degraders with oncology and immunology focus. Comparable as a small-molecule platform company pursuing multiple disease areas with target-based discovery, though with a different modality.
- Blackthorn Therapeutics (autonomous): Clinical-stage CNS biotech developing targeted therapies for neurobehavioral disorders. Comparable as a small-molecule-focused CNS company with a multi-program strategy in underserved neurological conditions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Avicenna Biosciences financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Avicenna Biosciences leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Avicenna Biosciences funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Avicenna Biosciences 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 Avicenna Biosciences
What does Avicenna Biosciences do?
Avicenna Biosciences is a pre-clinical biotechnology company developing proprietary small molecule drug candidates that target the ROCK (Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinase) and CSF-1R (Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor) pathways. The pipeline addresses neurological diseases including Parkinson's Disease with Dyskinesia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A, as well as oncology indications including B-Cell Lymphomas and Pancreatic Cancer.
Is Avicenna Biosciences a public or private company?
Avicenna Biosciences is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Avicenna Biosciences founded?
Avicenna Biosciences was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Avicenna Biosciences based?
Avicenna Biosciences is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Avicenna Biosciences's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Biogen. Direct peers are Praxis Precision Medicines, Sage Therapeutics, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Cerevel Therapeutics, Denali Therapeutics and Alector. Emerging players are Kymera Therapeutics and Blackthorn Therapeutics (autonomous).
Does Avicenna Biosciences have an API?
No public API is recorded for Avicenna Biosciences.
What industry is Avicenna Biosciences in?
Avicenna Biosciences's product category is Biopharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIACAC, Neurology & CNS Specialty Pharmaceuticals, with a secondary code of HLAAAIAK, In Vivo Discovery & Translational Models Platforms (humanized models, PK/PD, efficacy). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2834.