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The first thing Promise Bio CEO Ronel Veksler want you to know about the biotech fellowship he co - constitute is that it ’s not another AI drug discovery companionship . or else , he ’s reckon to bring precision practice of medicine to autoimmune diseases .
Tel Aviv - basedPromise Biohas developed a cloud - based AI platform that can pick out different Post - Translational Modifications ( PTMs ) in proteins from a undivided blood sampling . Before Promise ’s tech , checking for one of these 200 protein modifications would require single , separate tests . These PTMs are central to diagnosing and treating disease like autoimmune disorders .
“ It ’s so substantial , it ’s like moving from a black and ashen TV , to now seeing colour , ” Veksler told TechCrunch . “ You are visit the same protein but in a altogether dissimilar way . ”
Having an well-heeled direction to test for these protein modifications could unlock the ability for preciseness medicine for autoimmune diseases in the same way of life that advancements in genomics allow for precision intervention for cancer affected role , Veksler said .
“ When I practiced medicine , when you meet hoi polloi with autoimmune diseases , these affected role are under a ceaseless race toward obtain the good medicinal drug for them , ” Veksler read . “ It ’s a serial of trial and error which just does n’t make sense when you have computational abilities these daylight . ”
Veksler trace his journey to Promise Bio as a issue of pieces falling into place . After get a aesculapian degree and make for as a MD for a few years , he fetch his Ph.D. in the product of medication and engineering before the pandemic . After stints as a physician , and at a friend ’s startup , C2i Genomics , he eff he wanted to do something involving software , precision medicine , and autoimmune disorders .
His wife , Gal Noyman - Veksler , a partner at VC LionBird , come home one day in 2021 and told him that she had met Yifat Merbl , a senior scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel who was attend to twirl out the computational biota tech she was working on .
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Veksler described the scenario as a “ perfect paroxysm . ” Alongside Assaf Kacen , Centennial State - founder and CTO , Promise Bio was officially founded in January 2023 and has been operating in stealth ever since . The troupe is already working with multiple enceinte hospitals in the U.S. and Israel , as well as drug company , include AstraZeneca and Pfizer .
Promise Bio is now emerging from stealth with a previously unrevealed $ 8.3 million seed round in towage that close in April 2023 . The majority of the cap came from lead investor Awz Ventures in addition to strategical investors AstraZeneca and Pfizer . The fellowship is using the funds to hire more mass for its team and toward building a database of the PTM data point the company is pile up in its tests to be used for future research and growth .
Roni Alsheich , a ecumenical partner at Awz Ventures , told TechCrunch that he ’s really bullish on Promise Bio ’s team , jestingly add that it ’s a very bright company . He summate that the traction the company has been able to get thus far from legacy institutions like Pfizer and AstraZeneca is notable .
“ If Pfizer is interested in this ship’s company , and AstraZeneca and researcher with these institutes and hospitals are interested in this company , we conceive it is a real establishment , ” Alsheich said . “ It ’s only the beginning . I do n’t eff any other society with this age with so much traction with the [ pharmaceutical ] giants . ”
Veksler articulate that Promise Bio has gotten inbound interest from researchers and drug developer targeting other weather condition like neuro indications , but the squad is focus on autoimmune disorder for now — which touch an estimated4 % of the global universe .
“ It ’s really half-baked that we are doing the same process as we were managing these diseases 15 years ago , ” Veksler said . “ The issue of therapeutic options is only increase . It ’s not sustainable . We can not continue on this trial and misplay from pharma companies . ”
This piece has been update to admit info on the inauguration ’s third co - give
