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DeepCure

Company Overview

DeepCure is a Boston-based biotechnology company founded in 2018 that is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence for small molecule drug discovery. The company is building an AI engine to accelerate and optimize the drug development process, with the goal of creating better molecules and faster cures for every disease-relevant protein target.

DeepCure is headquartered at 100 City Hall Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was co-founded by Kfir Schreiber (CEO), Joseph Jacobson (Associate Professor at MIT Media Lab), and Thrasyvoulos Karydis (CTO).

Products Overview

DeepCure’s core product is its AI-driven drug discovery platform, which includes several key components:

  1. PocketExpander™ - A proprietary tool that uses AI/ML and computational chemistry methods to map protein surfaces and identify novel binding modes. This allows DeepCure to generate hypotheses for targets with limited or no existing data.

  2. MolGen™ - A molecular generation tool that uses deep reinforcement learning to design novel, diverse, and synthesizable compounds. It aims to capture important molecular interactions for binding and selectivity while delivering desired ADME-tox profiles.

  3. DeepPropR™ - A set of AI models for predicting important pharmacological properties like ADME-Tox. These models are continuously validated through experimental testing.

  4. Automated Molecular Foundry - A fully integrated platform for robotic synthesis and automated assays to rapidly test compounds designed by the AI system.

The company is using this platform to develop a pipeline of novel small molecule therapeutics, with a focus on inflammation and immunology. Their most advanced program targets BRD4-BD2 for indications including rheumatoid arthritis and is in the IND-enabling stage.

Founding Team

  • Kfir Schreiber - CEO & Co-Founder. Graduate of MIT Media Lab and recipient of the inaugural Minsky Fellowship for prominent AI researchers. Previously a pilot and major in the Israeli Air Force.

  • Joseph Jacobson, Ph.D. - Co-Founder. Associate Professor at MIT Media Lab, inventor on over 100 US patents, and co-founder of several successful companies including E-Ink.

  • Thrasyvoulos (Thras) Karydis - CTO & Co-Founder. Graduate of MIT Media Lab with expertise in deep learning and AI. Experienced in leading hardware and software projects.

Problem and Market Fit

DeepCure is addressing key challenges in the traditional drug discovery process, including:

  1. Long timelines and high costs associated with manual synthesis and screening of compounds
  2. Limited exploration of chemical space due to constraints of manual methods
  3. Biases towards known reactions and binding modes that limit novelty

By using AI and automation, DeepCure aims to dramatically accelerate the drug discovery process, expand the chemical space that can be explored, and design truly novel compounds that may have been missed by traditional approaches. This has the potential to unlock new treatments across a wide range of diseases.

Business Model

DeepCure appears to be pursuing a hybrid business model:

  1. Developing its own pipeline of novel small molecule therapeutics, which it can potentially commercialize or partner on.

  2. Potential for partnerships or collaborations with pharmaceutical companies to apply its AI platform to their drug discovery efforts.

The company is currently focused on building out its internal pipeline in inflammation and immunology, but its platform could potentially be applied across multiple therapeutic areas.

Funding and Runway

DeepCure has raised the following funding rounds:

  • April 2024: $24.4 million Series A-1 led by IAG Capital Partners
  • November 2021: $40 million Series A led by Morningside Ventures

Total known funding to date is $64.4 million. The most recent funding is intended to advance the company’s pipeline and further develop its AI-driven drug discovery platform.

Competitive Landscape

DeepCure is operating in the competitive field of AI-driven drug discovery. Some notable competitors include:

  • Recursion Pharmaceuticals
  • Exscientia
  • Atomwise
  • Insilico Medicine
  • BenevolentAI

DeepCure aims to differentiate itself through: 1. Its causal AI approach, which they claim reduces biases present in traditional correlation-based ML methods 2. Integration of AI with robotic synthesis and automated assays for rapid compound testing 3. Focus on designing novel compounds rather than just screening existing libraries

Customers

As an early-stage drug discovery company, DeepCure does not yet have commercial customers. Their primary “customers” at this stage are likely to be:

  1. Patients who may benefit from the novel therapeutics they are developing
  2. Potential pharmaceutical partners who may be interested in their technology or pipeline assets

Relevant News

  • May 28, 2024: DeepCure announced a breakthrough in chemical synthesis, demonstrating the ability of its Inspired Chemistry™ platform to synthesize nirmatrelvir and 56 analogs in parallel using a robot-driven workflow.

  • April 11, 2024: Closed $24.4 million Series A-1 funding round led by IAG Capital Partners.

  • January 5, 2023: Announced collaboration with Biosero to establish a fully automated, AI-powered chemistry synthesis platform.

  • April 26, 2022: Appointed Dr. Han Lim as Chief Business Officer to lead business development, portfolio planning, and corporate strategy.