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Three scientists at the lab bench examine an Eppendorf tube

Biotech Startup CatenaBio Raises $2.35 Million in Seed Extension Round

The UC-Berkeley spinout adds American Cancer Society and top biotech VCs to its backers . Read post
Sampling Human apoptosis kit

Sampling Human Ships its First Kits for Cellular Analysis to Early Access Customers and Releases an App Note with BMG LABTECH

Daniel Georgiev, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sampling Human, will be speaking on applications for the technology at the SynBioBeta conference. “At Sampling Human, we recognize the great lengths scientists go to today in order to obtain high-quality single-cell data,” said Daniel Georgiev. “Our plug and play products are designed to deliver reliable solutions with higher specificity, lower cost and ease of use for measuring the growing number of specialized cells in the body." Read post
A large group of scientists point at the company's CEO

The Search for Useful Proteins: Berkeley Startup Aims To Turn Generative AI Into a Gene-Fixing Tool

AI-powered Profluent Bio released the world's first open-source, AI-generated gene editor, the Berkeley company said Monday, an effort that could help more scientists develop CRISPR medicines to fix a range of diseases. Profluent, a roughly 20-person company launched by former Salesforce researcher Ali Madani and University of Washington assistant professor Alexander Meeske, said its OpenCRISPR-1 gene editor uses a protein, which it developed with large language models, and guide RNA that shuttles a cutting protein where it needs to go. Read post
NY Times photographer Rachel Bujalski takes a photo of the Profluent team at BBH

Generative A.I. Arrives in the Gene Editing World of CRISPR

Much as ChatGPT learns to generate language by analyzing Wikipedia articles, books and chat logs, Profluent’s technology creates new gene editors after analyzing enormous amounts of biological data, including microscopic mechanisms that scientists already use to edit human DNA. Read post

‘If You Could Hallucinate a Protein’: Profluent Snags $35M for Generative AI Models

In January 2023, Profluent’s large language model was detailed in a Nature Biotechnology paper, showing that it could create new proteins that functioned like ones found in nature. The upstart was founded by CEO Ali Madani, a former leader of machine learning work at Salesforce Research, and University of Washington School of Medicine assistant professor Alexander Meeske. Read post
Screenshot of the Profluent homepage. "Decoding the language of life with AI"

Profluent Secures $35M in Additional Funding and Key Industry Experts to Scale Foundational AI Models for Biomedicine and Tackle First Vertical in Gene Editing

“Our research at the forefront of AI has enabled Profluent to create large language models that begin to learn the blueprint of nature,” said Ali Madani, Profluent co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We are moving biology from being constrained by what can be discovered in nature to being able to design precisely according to our needs via AI. The science is real and the time is now to proactively create breakthrough medicines that can transform society.” Read post
Jenny Hamilton at the Innovative Genomics Institute. Photo by Adam Pardee at the San Francisco Business Times

Jenny Hamilton, CEO of Stealth Startup, Featured in Story of Jennifer Doudna’s Women in Enterprising Science Incubator

With its second cohort of young women scientists testing their problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial ambitions, the HS Chau Women in Enterprising Science Program within Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna’s Innovative Genomics Institute is giving rise to a new generation of biotech startups. At the same time, the program is solidifying Doudna’s legacy. Read post
Tim Craven

Dupixent in a Pill? Startup Insamo Will Try To Turn Blockbuster Biologics Into Orals

Berkeley, CA-headquartered Insamo was founded in 2022 by a trio of PhD scientists, who have raised a $12 million seed round that includes investors like venBio and Playground Global, CEO Tim Craven told Endpoints News exclusively. The board includes Playground’s venture partner Matt Hershenson and is chaired by venBio managing partner Corey Goodman. Insamo is developing macrocyclic peptides, which look like ring-shaped mini-proteins. They aim to have the potency of antibody drugs while being small enough to stay orally bioavailable, meaning they could be taken as pills rather than injections or infusions. Read post
Tim Craven

Insamo Pulls $12M Seed Round To Put Peptides Under a Magnifying Glass

Insamo starts by leveraging its AI and ML models to design more than trillions of unique molecules that are all orally bioavailable. Next, the company screens each and every one of the compounds against the target of interest. “It feels like cheating because you get the right answer every time,” Craven said, thanks to Insamo’s one-two punch of at-scale, AI-informed drug design, followed by affinity screenings that look for antibody-like binding. Read post