Antiverse
Overview
Antiverse is a biotechnology company that specializes in the design of antibodies for challenging drug targets using a generative AI platform. Founded in 2017 by Murat Tunaboylu and Ben Holland, the company is headquartered in Cardiff, United Kingdom. It has rapidly gained recognition for its innovative approach to antibody discovery, particularly for difficult targets like G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels. Antiverse has successfully raised over $10 million in funding from investors including i&i Biotech Fund and Kadmos Capital.
Recent Developments
- October 2024: Antiverse raised an additional £3.5 million ($4.6 million) in seed funding. The latest round, led by i&i Biotech Fund and Kadmos Capital, aims to expand the company's laboratory and machine learning teams and boost the development of its internal assets targeting GPCRs. The funding will also be used to increase the predictive accuracy of its design platform by focusing on curating training data. New facilities have been opened in Boston, MA, and Prague, Czech Republic, to support this expansion.
- March 2023: The company announced the successful identification of functional antibody clusters targeting two G-protein-coupled receptors, both exhibiting versatile binding profiles and nanomolar affinity, through its computational drug discovery platform.
- January 2022: Antiverse entered a strategic partnership with a top 20 pharmaceutical company to leverage its AI-augmented drug discovery platform for identifying potential antibody drug candidates. This collaboration aimed to address difficult targets associated with diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disorders.
Company Information
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Founding Date | April 23, 2017 |
| Headquarters | Cardiff, United Kingdom |
| Founders | Murat Tunaboylu, Ben Holland |
| Revenue | Not publicly disclosed |
| Profits | Not publicly disclosed |
| Key Investors | i&i Biotech Fund, Kadmos Capital, InnoSpark Ventures |
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 17 |
Early History
Antiverse was co-founded in 2017 in Cardiff, United Kingdom, by engineers Murat Tunaboylu and Ben Holland. The company emerged from Deep Science Ventures, which is known for nurturing high-impact enterprises. Initially, Antiverse focused on leveraging AI and machine learning to overcome challenges in antibody discovery. The company's platform capitalizes on next-generation sequencing and phage display techniques to model antibody-antigen binding effectively. During its formative years, Antiverse secured early funding rounds to build its proprietary AI-driven platform, enabling quicker turnaround times in drug discovery processes.
Company Profile and Achievements
Antiverse operates at the intersection of machine learning, structural biology, and medicine. Its primary objective is to accelerate the discovery and development of antibodies for targets that have historically been difficult to drug, such as GPCRs. Major achievements include:
- Funding Milestones: Antiverse has raised over $10 million across multiple funding rounds, with key investments from major players in the biotech and venture capital sectors.
- Technological Innovation: The company's AI-driven platform allows for the rapid discovery of novel antibodies, reducing the traditional timeline from years to merely months.
- Strategic Collaborations: Antiverse has formed valuable partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies to co-develop antibody therapeutics, reinforcing its position in the biotech industry.
- AI Augmented Drug Discovery: Focused on designing target-specific libraries, the platform integrates machine learning to enhance the predictive accuracy and selection of appropriate antibody candidates.
Current Operations and Market Position
Antiverse is actively operating within the biotech industry, with a strong focus on drug discovery for challenging targets like GPCRs and ion channels. Its current operations involve expanding its capabilities through new research facilities in Boston and Prague. The company maintains a competitive edge by continuously enhancing its AI platforms to improve predictive modeling and by engaging in high-profile strategic partnerships. Antiverse aims to tap into the unmet needs in therapeutic antibody design, thereby playing a transformative role in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sectors.
Conclusion
Antiverse has positioned itself as a notable player in the field of biotechnology by harnessing artificial intelligence to solve complex challenges in antibody drug discovery. Its strategic growth, coupled with an innovative technological platform, underlines its significance in the industry. Looking forward, Antiverse is poised to further its impact on therapeutic discoveries and expand its influence across the biotech landscape globally.