Peptris gets ₹86 crore government backing for AI drugs
By Abha Lohia ·
Peptris: funding and every story →
- Peptris is a Bengaluru company that uses artificial intelligence to find and design new drug molecules before they reach human trials
- A science ministry board agreed to put in ₹86 crore, as convertible debt, towards a ₹172 crore programme called VIGOR
- The money will move four AI-found drug candidates through lab and preclinical work, readying them for clinical trials
What happened
- A government board will fund ₹86 crore of the project.
- The project VIGOR costs ₹172 crore in total.
- Support comes as optionally convertible debt, which can turn into equity later.
- Four experimental drugs will be pushed to readiness levels 4 to 6.
- Work covers preclinical testing, validation and trial preparation.
Why it matters
- Turning AI-found molecules into proven medicines needs long, costly testing.
- The fund aims to close the gap between lab discovery and the clinic.
- It also builds India's strength in AI-led pharma.
The business
- Peptris is an AI drug discovery company.
- It is based in Bengaluru.
- Its platform designs and ranks candidate molecules.
- It targets cancer, inflammation and rare diseases.
The founders
Who put in money
- Technology Development Board Funder — Science ministry body that backs home-grown technology
In numbers
₹172 CrProject cost · 2026
What happens next
- Advance four drug candidates towards clinical trials.
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