A Silicon Valley AI and genomics start-up has netted $32m in its first round of funding.
Verge Genomics has been launched with the aim of using artificial intelligence to dramatically accelerate drug discovery.
The bulk of Verge Genomics’ research concerns Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
It is using machine-learning models trained on patient and lab data that identify genes within disease networks, predicting compounds that might impede their activity.
Researchers test the compounds in animal models and nerves grown from stem cells and use the results to further refine the models.
At least 18 pharmaceutical companies and more than 75 other start-ups are estimated to also be working on integrating machine learning into the drug discovery process.
Image credit | iStock
