Bridging Technology and Genetics III

Advances in Biotech: Bridging Technology and Genetics

Advances in Biotech: Bridging Technology and Genetics II

For the third edition, we will be taking an in-depth look at remarkable biotech start-ups in Food and Beverage and Genomic research.

Provides sustainable and ethical food alternatives such as genetic nutrition and plant-based proteins, to tackle global food issues for sustainable consumption.

Air farming

Explores unconventional methods of growing food by harnessing airborne microbes and nutrients. It aims to enhance food production efficiency, minimize resource use, and introduce new possibilities for cultivating crops in controlled environments.

Alternative proteins

The objective is to create sustainable sources of protein through the utilization of plants or insects, as opposed to relying on conventional livestock farming, with the intention of decreasing the environmental impact.

Cellular agriculture

This sub-domain concentrates on developing agricultural goods, like meat and dairy, via cellular cultures. It encourages a more sustainable way of producing food, decreasing the environmental impact associated with typical farming methods.

Nutrigenomics

Explores the interaction between diet and genetics, exploring how an individual’s unique genetic makeup can influence responses to specific nutrients. It can personalize dietary recommendations by offering insights into optimal nutritional requirements.

Air Protein develops protein from elements in the air, utilizing a carbon-negative AirFermentation technology to create nutritious, protein-rich food without harming the planet.

The company aims to address global food security and sustainability challenges by offering a new way to produce protein that doesn’t rely on traditional agriculture.

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• Air Protein’s technology involves using microbes to convert carbon dioxide into a protein powder that can be used as a sustainable nutrition source. This process, known as air fermentation, does not require sunlight, land, or favorable climatic conditions.

Recent Updates:

• May 2023: Signed an agreement with ADM, a food processing company, to advance the development and production of unique landless proteins.

• June 2020: Received the Technology Pioneer Designation from the World Economic Forum for contributions to the field of food technology.

Upside Foods produces meat, poultry, and seafood using cell-culturing techniques. The company’s method results in cleaner, more humane, and energy-efficient meat.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: Alternative Proteins

• Sector: Business and Consumer Services

• Founded: 2015

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

Recent Updates:

• January 2022: Upside Foods acquired Cultured Decadence, a cellular aquaculture company, to expand its portfolio of cultivated meat, poultry, and seafood products.

• April 2022: The company secured $400 million in Series C funding for product innovation, partnerships, and the infrastructure needed to produce cultivated meat at scale.

Redefine Meat develops plant-based meat using non-GMO ingredients.

This technology involves plant-based tissue engineering and patent-pending Meat Matrix Additive Manufacturing (MMAM) to replicate meat’s culinary experience without animals.

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• Redefine Meat offers products suitable for home cooking and food service, including various types of plant-based meat products like burgers, mince, and different meat alternatives.

Recent Updates:

• October 2022: Partnered with Giraudi Meats for European distribution of its New Meat steak cuts produced on 3D printers.

• September 2022: Partnered with MeEat, a plant-based food company, for business expansion in Finland.

• July 2021: Announced the commercial launch of its 3D Printed New-Meat Series.

BlueNalu is a cellular aquaculture company that cultivates fish and seafood products in a lab setting to reduce overfishing, environmental degradation, and concerns about seafood safety and quality.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: Cellular Agriculture

• Sector: Consumer Packaged Goods

• Founded: 2017

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• BlueNalu’s technology involves cell-cultured seafood, where cells from target fish species are cultivated to grow into muscle tissue, replicating the texture and taste of conventional seafood. They also announced a variety of seafood products under the Eat Blue brand.

Recent Updates:

• March 2023: Partnership with Nutreco, a food processing company, to establish and scale up a food-grade supply chain for cell-cultured seafood manufacturing.

• October 2022: Formation of a scientific advisory board (SAB) to support scale-up and consumer launch.

• September 2021: Partnership with Nomad Foods to introduce cell-cultured seafood in Europe.

GenoPalate offers tailored nutrition advice based on a person’s genetic profile. They use genetic information to detect genetic variants that are associated with nutritional characteristics, in an effort to enable people to make more educated dietary decisions in line with their genetic makeup.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: Nutrigenomics

• Sector: Business and Consumer Services

• Founded: 2016

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• DNA Nutrition Analysis: GenoPalate’s Essential Nutrition Report customizes food recommendations based on genetic nutritional needs.

• Personalized Vitamins and Supplements: The company uses advanced genetic testing and algorithms to create personalized vitamins and minerals based on DNA, age, gender, and diet.

• Dietitian Coaching: GenoPalate offers virtual guidance to help individuals achieve health goals and make sustainable changes that fit their lifestyle.

Recent Updates:

• February 2023: GenoPalate launched Genovit, a new line of personalized supplements based on DNA.

• May 2020: The company partnered with Edamam, a food database and nutrition data provider, to advance personalized eating and nutrition.

• May 2019: GenoPalate partnered with TESCHGlobal, a provider of data enablement services, to expand its business nationally and globally.

Analyzes and interprets DNA to gain an understanding of genetics, heredity, and disease on a molecular level. Identifies genetic variations associated with health conditions to facilitate personalized treatments and prevention.

AI-assisted drug discovery

This technology uses Artificial Intelligence and Genomics to speed up the process of recognizing potential drugs. It taps into vast collections of genomic data to anticipate how drugs and targets might interact, improve drug design, and make finding drugs simpler.

Gene editing

This method of gene editing precisely alters DNA sequences, providing a novel way to edit genes for therapeutic use. It is widely used with CRISPR technology and has potential to address genetic diseases and boost our comprehension of gene function.

Gene therapies

Uses knowledge gained from the analysis of the genome to create new methods of treating genetic diseases, malignancies, and other illnesses on a molecular level. It seeks to alter diseases by injecting, removing, or transforming genetic materials in a person’s cells.

Next-gen sequencing

This technology facilitates quick and economical DNA sequencing, allowing for further advances in genomics and tailored medicine. It applies methods including Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Sequencing to interpret intricate genetic information.

Precision medicine

This approach to medical care customizes treatments according to a person’s individual traits, such as their genetic composition, lifestyle habits, and their living environment. The goal is to achieve the best results from the treatment, reduce adverse effects, and ultimately improve the patient’s overall health and wellbeing.

Generate: Biomedicines combines machine learning (ML) and biology to create drugs for medical purposes. Their technology platform accelerates the process of identifying and confirming targets and treatments while reducing the costs involved in developing potential treatments for clinical use.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: AI-assisted drug discovery

• Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare

• Founded: 2018

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• The Generate platform generates medicines on demand across multiple therapeutic modalities. It boasts enhanced speed and improved success rates and can rapidly generate antibodies, peptides, enzymes, cell, and gene therapies for various therapeutic needs.

Recent Updates:

• November 2023: Partnered with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center to accelerate novel cell therapies for oncology using Generative AI.

• June 2023: Unveiled a CryoEM laboratory to boost Generative AI drug discovery and development.

• July 2022: Demonstrated a novel method for reducing immunogenicity through protein re-surfacing.

Elevate Bio is dedicated to the development of innovative cell and gene therapies. They utilize integrated technologies to support various processes and programs in cell and gene therapy, offering research and development technology platforms.

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• ElevateBio BaseCamp: A cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility providing discovery, development, and commercialization solutions. The facility includes cGMP manufacturing suites, analytics and QC laboratories, and labs for protein engineering, virology, and immunology.

Recent Updates:

• September 2023: Partnership with Kyverna, a clinical-stage cell therapy company, to advance the development and manufacturing of CAR T-cell therapies.

• November 2022: Collaboration with Affini-T Therapeutics to progress engineered TCR-T therapies targeting KRAS.

Maze Therapeutics focuses on translating genetic insights into medicines by integrating human genetics and functional genomics. They use genetic technologies to create precision medicines and understand biological factors related to various diseases.

The company’s products are designed to target a range of diseases, including chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and glaucoma.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: Gene Therapies

• Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare

• Founded: 2018

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• Maze Compass: A proprietary platform that integrates steps of variant functionalization into each stage of therapeutic development. It aims to progress a pipeline of innovative precision medicines. Maze Compass is used for developing the company’s own therapies and in partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.

Recent Updates:

• October 2023: Maze Therapeutics announced presenting new preclinical data on small molecule APOL1 inhibitors for treating APOL1 kidney disease.

• May 2023: Signed a licensing agreement with Sanofi for MZE001, an oral substrate reduction therapy for Pompe disease.

• December 2022: Completed phase 1 trial of MZE001 as a potential oral treatment for Pompe disease.

Element Biosciences focuses on developing DNA sequencing technology for both research and diagnostic markets. Their goal is to empower the scientific community by providing solutions that contribute to the betterment of humanity.

Their solutions find applications in DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, and long-read sequencing.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: Next-gen sequencing

• Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare

• Founded: 2017

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• Aviti System: Enhances research by enabling scientists to progress from inquiry to insight, generating practical outcomes for real-world applications.

• Aviti Fit: Expands the capabilities of the Aviti system to deliver high-quality sequencing from low to high throughput while maintaining cost-efficiency.

• Avidity Sequencing: A novel sequencing technique aimed at improving the accuracy and efficiency of DNA sequencing.

Recent Updates:

• November 2023: Partnered with Qiagen to offer complete next-generation sequencing workflows for the Aviti system.

• October 2023: Collaborated with Revvity to improve next-generation sequencing research workflows.

• August 2023: Announced Aviti Fit, a suite of products to empower more researchers with flexible genomic solutions.

Tempus utilizes artificial intelligence to collect and analyze molecular, clinical, and genomic data. The company gathers vast databases from academic medical centers and community hospitals for this purpose.

It offers genomic sequencing services and analyzes therapeutic data to assist physicians in making data-driven decisions.

• Headquarters: United States

• Sub-domain: Precision Medicine

• Sector: Medical Equipment

• Founded: 2015

Funding and Investors:

Key Offerings:

• Tempus Platform: A comprehensive platform for managing Tempus tests and results, focusing on secure access to patient information, easy order management, and generating reports for treatment decisions.

• Time Trial Program: Enhances access to molecularly targeted trials and new therapies, expanding treatment options for healthcare providers and reducing the effort needed to manage the treatment portfolio.

Recent Updates:

• September 2023: Tempus partnered with Recursion, a clinical-stage tech bio company, to advance biomarker-driven therapeutic development with a data-first approach.

• August 2023: Collaborated with Bristol Myers Squibb to apply multimodal AI approaches.

• March 2023: Unveiled xF Monitor, a research-only circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay for identifying and tracking alterations in circulating tumor fraction.

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