Skape Bio is an early-stage biotechnology company developing a new class of de novo designed miniprotein therapeutics targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of drug targets and one where biologics have historically faced significant limitations.
Co-founded by Nobel Laureate David Baker, Skape Bio combines AI-guided protein design, protein engineering, proprietary high-throughput screening in living human cells, and translational pharmacology in an integrated discovery platform. The company designs compact, stable proteins engineered to engage specific GPCRs with high selectivity and potency and to function as either agonists or antagonists.
A key feature of Skape Bio’s platform is the ability to screen large libraries of designed proteins directly against full-length, membrane-embedded GPCRs in their native cellular context, enabling functional molecules to be identified from the outset. Experimental data generated through each campaign is fed back into the design process to continuously improve subsequent generations of molecules.
Skape Bio is also building an internal therapeutic pipeline across areas including inflammation, metabolic disease, oncology, and neurology, with the aim of addressing high-value GPCR targets that have been difficult to drug with existing modalities.