Helicore Biopharma

Helicore Biopharma is a South San Francisco clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company building first-in-class GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) antagonists for obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Its lead candidate, HCR-188, is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds circulating GIP ligand rather than the GIP receptor, a mechanism designed to improve the quality of weight loss - favoring fat loss over lean mass when paired with GLP-1 - and to restore leptin sensitivity. Incubated by Versant Ventures, the company emerged from stealth in January 2025 with a $65 million Series A and is advancing a pipeline of long-acting antibody-peptide conjugates aimed at quarterly dosing.