RQ Bio Raises £85.5M Series A for Long-Acting Flu Antibody

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RQ Bio, a London based biotechnology company developing long-acting antibody treatments to prevent influenza in high-risk and immunocompromised people, has completed an oversubscribed $115 million Series A financing, equal to £85.5 million. The round was announced on June 24, 2026.

Frazier Life Sciences led the raise, joined by new investors EQT Life Sciences, Forbion, Monograph, and Wellington Management. Founding investor LifeArc Ventures took part as well, along with existing shareholders Oxford Science Enterprises and the University of Oxford.

The company’s lead program, RQB01, is currently in IND-enabling studies. It is designed to provide broad protection against influenza through a dual mechanism of action that targets conserved parts of the virus, the regions that tend to stay stable despite seasonal variation. That approach aims to deliver protection across a full flu season.

RQ Bio plans to use the funding to move RQB01 into clinical testing next year. Alongside the financing, the company appointed Christian Schade as executive chairman. He previously served as president and chief executive of Halda Therapeutics, which Johnson & Johnson acquired in December 2025 for $3.05 billion.

The size of the round reflects strong investor appetite for preventive approaches to seasonal influenza, particularly for patients who respond poorly to vaccines.