drug discovery
Isomorphic inks deals with Eli Lilly and Novartis for drug discovery
Isomorphic Labs, the London-based, drug discovery–focused spinout of Google AI R&D division DeepMind, today announced that it’s entered into strategic partnerships with two pharmaceutical giants, Eli Lilly and Novartis, to…
Drug discovery startup Pepper Bio hopes to challenge Eroom’s law with new funding
The biotech startup’s $6.5 million seed round is led by VC firm NFX but it is perhaps equally noteworthy to see that Merck is also participating in the round.
DeepMind’s latest AlphaFold model is more useful for drug discovery
Nearly five years ago, DeepMind, one of Google’s more prolific AI-centered research labs, debuted AlphaFold, an AI system that can accurately predict the structures of many proteins inside the human…
Causaly, an AI platform for drug discovery and biomedical research, raises $60M
Artificial intelligence has been a big theme in the world of health and medical research, and specifically in the area of drug discovery. Today, another hopeful in the space is…
With new funding, Atomic AI envisions RNA as the next frontier in drug discovery
The biotech industry is experiencing a rush of AI-powered tools for many aspects of the complex drug discovery process. But one that has flown under the radar, increasingly thought to…
It’s becoming clear that longevity as a theme has resonated with investors, though it appears it will be some time before more generalist investors take interest.
Hong Kong-based drug discovery and development company Insilico has secured fresh capital at a time that its CEO described as a “biotech winter.” The firm has raised $35 million on…
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is making some pretty heavy bets on the healthcare space as it acquired Amcare, which runs high-end children’s and women’s hospitals across China. The buyout cost…
Europe’s health data reuse plan needs some surgery, say privacy supervisors
A proposal put forward by European Union lawmakers in May, to establish a legal framework to make it easier to share electronic health records and other medical data — across…
Meta Pharmaceuticals lands $15M to make autoimmune drugs with AI, new immuno-metabolism tech
Biotech startup Meta Pharmaceuticals sets itself an ambitious goal as it secures its initial investment. The Shenzhen-based company, which sets out to develop treatments for autoimmune diseases with the help…
Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-based company that has been using artificial intelligence to discover new drugs since 2014, has completed a fresh round of funding. It’s a sign that certain…
Brightseed’s first AI-detected ‘phytonutrient’ comes to market alongside a $68M B round
Who knows what secrets await in the hearts of plants? Brightseed has found a couple of them, anyway, using an AI-based analysis method and will be bringing its first products…
6 questions investors should ask when evaluating psychedelic biotech companies
We believe in a future where psychedelic therapy will be as common as going to the dentist, but the path won’t be easy.
Wicked fast VPNs, data organization tools, auto-generated videos to spice up your company’s Instagram stories … Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 open source founders have some interesting ideas up their sleeves.…
Gandeeva Therapeutics raises $40m zoom in on biomolecules – and create new drugs in the process
The field scientists once jokingly called “blobography” has come a long way. Cryogenic electron microscopy was formerly known for delivering amorphous images of biomolecules. Now it has become one of…
‘How can you understand life if you don’t look at it live?’ — Eikon Therapeutics rakes in $518M
Adam Goulburn, a partner at Lux Capital, was first struck by Eikon Therapeutics’ pitch to use super microscopes to develop drugs when founder Eric Betzig posed a simple question: How…
Generate Biomedicines raises $370M Series B with a focus on protein-based drugs
The drug development space is continuing to attract more and more investment. On Thursday, another major player, Generate Biomedicines, announced a $370 million Series B round. Generate Biomedicines is touting…
The field of drug discovery has been supercharged by the capabilities of AI, which several companies have applied in various ways to turn an enormous practical problem into a tractable…
Medable reaches $2.1B valuation as Tiger, Blackstone, GSR pump new capital into clinical trials management company
Medable has grown 300% in the past year and over 800% in the last 18 months, which CEO Michelle Longmire said was proof that a patient-centered approach is taking hold.
UK startup Healx to begin clinical trial on repositioned drug for Fragile X syndrome
There are currently no approved cures for Fragile X syndrome — the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability. At the moment, the treatments are designed to manage symptoms, from…
NFX-backed Pepper Bio Emerges from stealth with tools to hone in on complex diseases
There’s a clear pain point when it comes to drug discovery: Depending on which study you cite, creating an approved drug costs anywhere from $985 million to $2.6 billion. And…
Federated Genomic data startup Lifebit raises $60M round led by Tiger Global
Genomic data is considered to be the key to unlocking so-called “precision medicine”. Some estimates suggest that by 2025, 500 million human genomes will have been sequenced, but only a…
Human life expectancy increased from 31 years in 1900 to 72 years in 2017. Today, we are on the cusp of another healthcare revolution driven by artificial intelligence.
Journey Clinical raises $3M to allow psychotherapists to offer psychedelic therapies
Psychedelics companies are all the rage right now. Compass Pathways is working with the magic mushroom compound psilocybin to treat depression. It’s has raised $290 million in total. Atai Life…
African genomics startup 54gene raises $25M to expand precision medicine capabilities
Less than 3% of genetic material used in global pharmaceutical research is from Africa. The staggering gap is quite surprising because Africans and people of African descent are reported to…
Join us today for Extra Crunch Live, as we speak with 1910 Genetics’ Jen Nwankwo and Playground Global’s Jory Bell
Extra Crunch Live gives you the chance to hear live from entrepreneurs who have successfully raised significant rounds of venture capital — and from the investors who believed in them.
Absci Corp., a Vancouver company behind a multifaceted drug development platform, went public on Thursday. It’s another sign of snowballing interest in new approaches to drug development — a traditionally…
AI drug discovery platform Insilico Medicine announces $255 million in Series C funding
Insilico Medicine, an AI-based platform for drug development and discovery, announced $255 million in Series C financing on Tuesday. The massive round is reflective of a recent breakthrough for the…
“Alzheimer’s is open for business:” Controversial FDA approval could pave the way for future drugs
On Monday, a 17-year drought in the world of Alzheimer’s drugs ended with the FDA approval of Biogen’s Aduhlem (aducanumab). The controversy behind the FDA’s decision was considerable, but it…
After contentious debate, FDA approves first Alzheimer’s drug since 2003
On Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration granted approval to a keenly-watched Alzheimer’s drug, aducanumab, developed by the drugmaker Biogen. The decision to approve the drug, which was once…
