Press Release
Myria Biosciences bets SynBio and AI hold keys to unlocking undruggable targets, goes beyond limits of biological evolution
Basel, Switzerland – 20 June 2024
Myria Biosciences AG, a Basel-based pioneer in drug discovery using synthetic biology and AI, announced the closing of its pre-seed round. The financing round exceeds its initial, undisclosed target size. Investors were led by Creator Fund, a UK venture capital firm with a focus on deep technology startups from Europe’s leading universities.
Myria's Genetically Engineered Modular Molecular Scaffolds (GEMMS) platform combines SynBio, artificial intelligence and high-throughput screening to engineer complex molecule drugs inspired by natural products to tackle previously undruggable targets. By harnessing data-driven design, Myria is developing a portfolio of highly targeted biopharmaceuticals to address significant unmet medical needs.
Myria joins a host of startups aiming to disrupt drug discovery using recent advancements in AI, and differentiates themselves through a SynBio approach that allows them to biologically produce and test novel therapeutic compounds at unprecedented numbers, millions of molecules in a week.
"We are unlocking nature's molecular toolbox through synthetic intelligence," explained Myria CEO Dr. Steven Schmitt. "With our GEMMS platform, we can genetically engineer cells to produce novel natural product-inspired compounds beyond the limitations of evolutionary biology. This allows us to systematically generate and optimize molecular therapeutic candidates for highly challenging disease targets."
Myria Biosciences is a spin-off integrating cutting edge science from ETH Zurich, the Max Planck Institute, and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland. Headquartered in Basel, the Swiss corporation has additional locations in the UK and Germany. The founder team is headed by CEO Steven Schmitt, CSO Kenan Bozhüyük, and COO Irene Wüthrich.
The new funding will enable Myria to expand its world-class scientific team, kickstart its internal drug candidate pipeline, and forge additional partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies. “With intellectual property in AI and several international biotech patents the brilliant Myria team will massively accelerate drug discovery. We are confident they will achieve major break-throughs by accessing new chemical space and transforming how therapeutics are engineered,” said Jamie Macfarlane, CEO at Creator Fund.
Capital Blue Partners, Rockmount Seed Investments, and Swiss and German investors also participated in the oversubscribed pre-seed round.
About Myria Biosciences AG
Myria Biosciences is at the forefront of applying synthetic intelligence to transform drug development. The company's GEMMS (Genetically Engineered Modular Molecule Scaffolds) platform combines synthetic biology and artificial intelligence into a synthetic intelligence approach that allows the design and biological production of therapeutic compounds far beyond what nature's evolution has provided. Myria is unlocking new chemical space and generating optimized molecular candidates with unprecedented speed and precision for unmet medical needs.
For more information, contact
Dr. Steven Schmitt, CEO
Phone: +41 61 551 03 80
Email: hello@myria.bio
About Creator Fund
Creator Fund is a venture capital firm investing in startups on the frontier of what's possible. They back AI, Life Science and Deep Tech scientific founders solving the world’s toughest challenges. With a focus on PhD and academic founders, CF has teams across 24 universities in 7 countries across Europe. Founded in 2019, CF has built a portfolio of 38 companies, and is backed by many leading funds in Europe and the US.