Drug discovery is not what it once was. More and more biotechs are popping up with AI-driven technology to fuel drug R&D at accelerated levels with higher success potential than predecessors.
Flagship-foundling Cellarity takes its unique approach even a step further. The company uses computational modeling of cell behavior to treat disease, instead of going after a molecular target, redefining drug discovery through its cell-centric approach.
“All diseases stem from a disorder at the cellular level, but until now most drug discovery efforts have relied upon single molecular targets that overlook the potent networked relationships of biology,” said Fabrice Chouraqui, CEO of Cellarity and a CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering.
It’s this kind of outside-the-box approach that landed Cellarity the seventh spot on BioSpace’s Top Life Sciences Startups to Watch in 2021. And having just completed a $123 million Series B, it’s already proving its ranking.
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“Cellarity’s cell-centric platform has the potential to engineer a shift in how the world approaches the discovery of medicine,” said Noubar Afeyan, CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Cellarity.
“It is another example of Flagship Pioneering’s relentless efforts to push the boundaries of the life sciences to uncover breakthrough technologies and identify innovative treatments that will change the lives of patients.”
The biotech has already demonstrated a capability to modify disease behaviors in 10 different therapeutic areas. Cellarity’s current focus is on 4 high-value disease areas – hematology, immuno-oncology, metabolism, and respiratory – with seven drug discovery programs underway.
A rep for Cellarity told BioSpace, “The Series B funding will advance these programs and keep enhancing the platform, with the goal of reaching the clinic in the next few years.”
But the targets don’t stop there. Cellarity’s cell-centric approach to drug design has “limitless applications” by predicting molecules that will change cell behaviors. The company’s algorithms are thereby capable of drug candidate identification that might otherwise be undiscoverable.
Cellarity will also use the funds to “advance its platform work, validate the power of the cell-centric approach across different disease areas, and generate proof of concept.”
“By working at the level of the entire cell, Cellarity’s drug discovery platform harnesses the complexity of human biology to uncover breakthrough treatments in a wide range of disease areas,” Chouraqui said.
The heavy hitting round was joined by BlackRock, The Baupost Group, Banque Pictet and eight other investors alongside Flagship Pioneering.
Source: Biospace
