DeepCure

Company Overview

DeepCure is a biotech company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company leverages artificial intelligence and robotics to accelerate small molecule drug discovery and development. DeepCure’s mission is to discover, develop and deliver novel, small molecule drugs that were previously undruggable or undiscovered using traditional methods.

The company was co-founded by Kfir Schreiber, Joseph Jacobson, and Thrasyvoulos (Thras) Karydis. Schreiber, who serves as CEO, is a graduate of the MIT Media Lab and former pilot and major in the Israeli Air Force. Jacobson is an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab and serial entrepreneur, while Karydis serves as CTO and is also a graduate of the MIT Media Lab.

Products Overview

DeepCure’s key product is its Inspired Chemistry™ platform, which integrates several AI and robotic technologies:

1. PocketExpander™ - An AI tool that maps protein surfaces and identifies novel binding modes to generate hypotheses for drug binding.

2. MolGen™ - A molecular generation tool that uses deep reinforcement learning to design novel, diverse compounds optimized for binding, selectivity and ADME-tox properties.

3. DeepPropR™ - AI models for predicting pharmacological properties of molecules.

4. Automated Molecular Foundry - A robotic system for automated synthesis and testing of compounds designed by the AI.

The company is using this integrated platform to develop a pipeline of small molecule therapeutics, with a focus on inflammation and immunology indications. Their most advanced program targets BRD4-BD2 for rheumatoid arthritis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and Still’s disease, and is in IND-enabling studies.

Founding Team

The founding team consists of:

• Kfir Schreiber - CEO & Co-Founder
• Joseph Jacobson, Ph.D. - Co-Founder
• Thrasyvoulos (Thras) Karydis - CTO & Co-Founder

Problem and Market Fit

DeepCure is addressing several key challenges in traditional drug discovery:

1. The high costs and long timelines of manual synthesis and screening of compounds.
2. Low success rates in synthesizing designed compounds (20-34% industry standard).
3. Bias towards known chemical reactions and binding sites.
4. Difficulty in exploring vast chemical spaces to find truly novel drugs.

By combining AI for molecular design with robotic synthesis and testing, DeepCure aims to dramatically accelerate drug discovery timelines, reduce costs, and enable the exploration of broader chemical spaces to find new therapeutic candidates. This approach is particularly valuable for developing drugs for challenging targets or indications with high unmet medical needs.

Business Model

DeepCure appears to be pursuing an internal pipeline development model, where they discover and develop novel small molecule drugs using their proprietary AI and robotics platform. The company aims to advance these drug candidates through preclinical and early clinical development before potentially partnering with larger pharmaceutical companies or pursuing further clinical development independently.

Additionally, given the capabilities of their platform, it’s possible DeepCure may pursue partnerships or collaborations with other biotech/pharma companies to apply their technology to partners’ drug discovery programs, though this is not explicitly stated in the available information.

Funding and Runway

DeepCure has raised significant funding to support its operations:

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

Total known funding to date is at least $64.4 million. The runway is not explicitly stated, but given the recent funding round, the company likely has runway well into 2025 or beyond.

Competitive Landscape

DeepCure operates in the competitive AI-driven drug discovery space. While specific competitors are not named, the company would likely compete with other AI drug discovery companies such as Exscientia, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Relay Therapeutics, and Atomwise. Traditional pharmaceutical companies investing heavily in AI capabilities could also be considered competitors.

DeepCure differentiates itself through its integrated approach combining causal AI models, robotic synthesis, and automated testing, as well as its focus on exploring novel binding modes and chemical spaces.

Customers

As an early-stage biotech company developing its own pipeline, DeepCure’s primary “customers” at this stage are likely to be potential pharmaceutical partners or investors interested in its drug candidates. If the company pursues a partnering model for its platform technology, pharmaceutical and biotech companies could become direct customers.

Relevant News

• May 28, 2024: DeepCure announced a breakthrough in chemical synthesis, demonstrating the ability of its Inspired Chemistry™ platform to synthesize nirmatrelvir (a COVID-19 antiviral) and 56 analogs in parallel using a robot-driven workflow.

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

• January 5, 2023: Announced a 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.

• November 8, 2021: Closed a $40 million Series A funding round led by Morningside Ventures.