RQ Bio raises £87.1m led by Frazier Life Sciences and EQT Life Sciences
This article covers RQ Bio, a London-based biotech startup, raising £87.1m in a series A funding round to progress RQB01, a long-acting antibody programme, through IND-enabling studies and into clinical development. The financing aims to support advancement of a season-long influenza prophylactic targeting high-risk and immunocompromised patients and to expand the startup's antibody discovery platform.
RQ Bio has raised £87.1m in a series A funding round to progress RQB01, a long-acting antibody programme intended to provide season-long protection against influenza for high-risk and immunocompromised patients. The London-based biotech startup says the capital will advance RQB01 through IND-enabling work and into clinical development, and support the expansion of its antibody discovery platform.
Why it matters
Influenza remains a major risk for patients who do not mount adequate responses to vaccination. A single-administration prophylactic that delivers broad, durable protection would change how clinicians manage seasonal risk for immunocompromised and other vulnerable groups. The size of this series A also signals continued appetite among biotech investors for late-preclinical assets targeting respiratory viruses, and it gives RQ Bio resources to reach human studies next year.
Inside the product
RQ Bio’s lead candidate, RQB01, is a long-acting monoclonal antibody currently in IND-enabling studies. The company describes a dual mechanism of action that targets conserved influenza epitopes to maintain potency across seasonal variation. The stated combination of broad strain coverage, high neutralising activity and extended duration aims to provide a season-long window of protection from a single administration — an approach distinct from seasonal vaccines that need annual reformulation.
The company was founded in 2021 and positions its proprietary antibody discovery platform as a route to a broader pipeline of prophylactic assets against respiratory viral diseases.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by Frazier Life Sciences and joined by EQT Life Sciences, Forbion, Monograph and Wellington Management. Founding investor LifeArc Ventures participated alongside shareholders Oxford Science Enterprises and the University of Oxford. Frazier’s Joe Cabral joined RQ Bio’s board as part of the financing.
In the announcement, Joe Cabral, Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, said:
We believe RQB01 possesses several differentiated attributes that will translate to efficacious, season-long prevention of flu in an attractive product format. We are excited to partner with the Company as it works towards advancing RQB01 into the clinic and through multiple important milestones.
In the announcement, Clare Terlouw, Managing Partner at LifeArc Ventures, said:
The oversubscribed Series A is a testament to the scientific excellence and focused drive of the RQ team and is a great example of first class British science being backed for success on the global stage.
The syndicate mixes specialist life sciences investors and larger institutional capital, reflecting a financing profile that can support IND-enabling work and the transition to clinical trials.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Mike Westby, Chief Executive Officer of RQ Bio, said:
Our vision is to develop a preventative therapy capable of delivering reliable protection for an entire flu season with a single administration. This financing will support clinical development of RQB01 as well as advance our proprietary antibody discovery approach towards a pipeline of assets for prophylaxis of respiratory viral diseases.
The company also named Christian S. Schade as Executive Chairman. Schade was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Halda Therapeutics, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson for £2.3bn in December 2025. RQ Bio says Schade will guide corporate strategy and support the company’s growth as it prepares for clinical milestones.
The bigger picture
The investment underscores sustained interest from biotech investors in long-acting biologics for infectious disease prevention. Long-acting antibodies are being pursued as complements or alternatives to vaccines for populations where vaccines underperform, and a successful clinical readout would attract further partnerships with pharma and health systems.
For the UK biotech ecosystem, the deal reinforces the route from academic collaboration and government-linked translational investors into venture-backed clinical development. If RQB01 advances as planned, it would add to a growing pipeline of UK companies targeting respiratory viruses and could influence how seasonal prophylaxis is delivered across Europe.
This financing positions RQ Bio to enter first-in-human studies in the coming year and ties into larger European conversations about preparedness, innovation in prophylactic biologics and financing mechanisms that support translation from lab to clinic.
They've invested in RQ Bio
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