II: TechBio Latest Summer News & Updates
II: TechBio Latest Summer News & Updates
Trends on TechBio ⛽: Ignition, Terray, SmartCADD, Iktos, TxGNN, IPA, Aigen, Benevolent, VedTechBio, 1910 Genetics, BullFrog, Antiverse, Alleo, Cernais, Longenesis, DeepMind and AZ (MILTON)
This week’s Trilogy:
Trends on TechBio ⛽: Lantern, Asimov, Scriptome, Insitro, Xtalpi (Ailux), Eurofins, Basecamp, X-Chem, Verseon and Top 10 Swiss AI Healthcare Startups
II: TechBio Latest Summer News & Updates
Trends on TechBio ⛽: Ignition, Terray, SmartCADD, Iktos, TxGNN, IPA, Aigen, Benevolent, VedTechBio, 1910 Genetics, BullFrog, Antiverse, Alleo, Cernais, Longenesis, DeepMind and AZ (MILTON)
III: TechBio Latest Summer News & Updates
Trends on TechBio ⛽: Dotmatics, Seqera Labs, Mi Laboratories, Speed Invest, Flinn, PipeBio, Databricks, VeriSIM Life, neoX Biotech, SandboxAQ and Okomera
II: TechBio Latest Summer News & Updates
Ignition AI
On October 14, 2024, the Ignition AI Accelerator announced a strategic partnership with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), which aims to enhance AI capabilities and expand applications across various industries, particularly in the healthcare sector (Pfizer partners with Ignition AI to enhance drug discovery).
The Ignition AI Accelerator is a collaborative initiative formed between NVIDIA, Tribe (a leading startup accelerator backed by the Singapore government, focused on driving innovation in the global AI ecosystem) and Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), with a focus on AI-driven innovation. The partnership with Pfizer is expected to leverage Ignition AI Accelerator's extensive Southeast Asian network—comprising media, government, universities, accelerators, tech talent, and investors—to accelerate drug discovery and research processes.
For more about Pfizer and AI Drug Discovery:
Terray Therapeutics Inc
On October 17, 2024, Terray Therapeutics announced it has raised $120M in a Series B fundraise to enhance its AI platform (Terray Therapeutics rakes in $120M for AI-powered small-molecule drug development). New investor Bedford Ridge Capital and existing investor NVentures, Nvidia Corp.’s venture capital arm, led the funding round. The round also attracted investments from Maverick Capital, Goldcrest Capital, Madrona Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, XTX Ventures, Digitalis Ventures and Alexandria Ventures. This new financing brings the total raised by the company to more than $200M.
Terray Therapeutics (US, 2018) has a small molecule screening and optimization platform (tArray) for generative AI-driven drug discovery, integrating chemical experimentation and computation on an unprecedented scale. They explore molecules and targets more broadly and deeply with a sophisticated combination of ultra-high throughput experimentation, generative AI, biology, medicinal chemistry, automation and nanotechnology.
Their experimental dataset includes more than two billion unique target-ligand binding measurements, growing by 150 million new measurements every month. They can screen 2M molecules against a target in four minutes and convert 25 TB of image data into binding affinities daily, allowing them to rapidly identify potent and selective molecules.
On December 14, 2023, Terray Therapeutics announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics in certain disease areas. On November 9, 2023, Terray announced an equity investment by NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital arm. Additional financing included a strong syndicate of new and existing institutional investors, including industry leaders John Maraganore, founding Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and Bassil Dahiyat, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Xencor. And on October 12, 2022, Terray and Calico Life Sciences, a biotechnology organization focused on age-related interventions and founded by Alphabet and Arthur D. Levinson, announced a research collaboration to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics for diseases of aging, including cancer.
Using artificial intelligence to document the hidden RNA virosphere
A DL algorithm (LucaProt) that integrates both sequence and predicted structural information was employed to identify highly divergent RNA viral ‘‘dark matter’’ in 10,487 metatranscriptomes from diverse global ecosystems. A total of 161,979 potential RNA virus species and 180 RNA virus supergroups were unveiled using this AI approach, including many understudied groups.
Highlights:
AI-based metagenomic mining greatly expands the diversity of the global RNA virosphere
Developed a DL model that integrates sequence and structural information
161,979 putative RNA virus species and 180 RNA virus supergroups were identified
RNA viruses are ubiquitous and are even found in the most extreme global environments
SmartCADD: AI-QM Empowered Drug Discovery Platform with Explainability
SmartCADD, is an innovative, open-source virtual screening platform that combines DL, computer-aided drug design (CADD) and quantum mechanics methodologies within a user-friendly Python framework (SmartCADD: AI-QM Empowered Drug Discovery Platform with Explainability).
SmartCADD is engineered to streamline the construction of comprehensive virtual screening workflows that incorporate a variety of formerly independent techniques, (spanning ADMET property predictions, de novo 2D and 3D pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, to the integration of explainable AI mechanisms). Furthermore, its efficacy was demonstrated through a case study focused on the identification of promising lead compounds for HIV inhibition. By democratizing access to advanced AI and quantum mechanics tools, SmartCADD stands as a catalyst for progress in pharmaceutical research and development, heralding a new era of innovation and efficiency.
Iktos SA
On October 17, 2024, Iktos, a leader in AI and Robotics, has appointed a new Scientific Advisory Board comprising five world-renowned experts in AI-driven molecular design, lab automation, computational chemistry, first-in-human drug development and strategic pipeline management (Iktos appoints new Scientific Advisory Board), including:
🏵️ Rafael Gomez-Bombarelli, MIT professor and pioneer in Generative AI, whose seminal work has been key in the development of AI in Drug Discovery,
🏵️ Thierry Masquelin, the visionary creator of the Lilly Life Science Studio (L2S2) and former automation leader at Recursion Pharmaceuticals, that will guide Iktos in advancing its integrated synthesis, purification and testing robotic platform,
🏵️ Friedrich Rippmann, former Director of Computational Chemistry and Biologics at Merck KGaA, that will contribute his deep experience in applying computational chemistry methods across the pharmaceutical industry,
🏵️ Laurent Debussche, former VP Oncology Research at Sanofi, that adds decades of experience in advancing first-in-human drug candidates to clinical phases and
🏵️ Dominique Bridon, executive chairman at Sybilla Therapeutics, will leverage his leadership in reconciling excellence in science and innovation with entrepreneurial successes (including taking Conjuchem public) to support Iktos in maturing and expanding its AI-first drug candidate pipeline.
For more about Iktos:
