TLDR: Leaders from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Jeff Leek and Robert Bradley, have launched Synthesize Bio, an AI startup that secured $10 million in funding from Madrona Venture Group. The company aims to revolutionize drug discovery by employing a generative genomics foundation model (GEM-1) to predict gene expression and simulate lab test outcomes, thereby making the process faster and more cost-effective.
Seattle, WA – A new artificial intelligence startup, Synthesize Bio, co-founded by prominent figures from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, has successfully raised $10 million in funding from Madrona Venture Group. The company, led by Fred Hutch Chief Data Officer Jeff Leek and Robert Bradley, Director of the Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center at Fred Hutch, is poised to significantly accelerate and reduce the cost of drug discovery through advanced AI technologies.
Synthesize Bio’s core innovation is its generative genomics foundation model, dubbed GEM-1. This sophisticated AI model is designed to predict gene expression, offering crucial insights into how novel drugs are expected to influence cell behavior. By simulating the results of hypothetical lab tests, the technology aims to streamline the early stages of drug development, traditionally a time-consuming and expensive endeavor.
The 16-person team at Synthesize Bio has spent nearly two years developing and training GEM-1. The model was trained on an extensive dataset comprising publicly available information that correlates research experiments with RNA sequencing data, which captures the genes expressed within a cell. This dataset includes information from both healthy and diseased human cells, as well as tissue samples derived from various lab work and clinical trials.
On Tuesday, Synthesize Bio researchers published a preprint on bioRxiv detailing their model and its performance. The scientists claim that GEM-1 “predicts future gene expression experimental results with lab-level accuracy,” a testament to its potential impact on the field.
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Matt McIlwain, managing director at Madrona Venture Group, expressed strong confidence in the startup’s vision. “This is the kind of infrastructure shift that redefines what’s possible in life science R&D,” McIlwain stated on LinkedIn. He added, “With generative genomics, researchers can ask bolder questions, design smarter trials, and test hypotheses that were previously unaffordable or impossible to explore.” The investment underscores a growing trend in venture capital towards AI-driven solutions in biotechnology, particularly those promising to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of drug development.
