Startup Cradle cia koj tsim kev cai Proteins los ntawm tsuas yog ntaus ntawv hauv ib qho sai

Muaj ib lub tuam txhab tshiab ntawm lub block uas nws lub hom phiaj yog ua kom yooj yim rau kev kawm txog biology. European startup hu ua Menyuam txaj yog tawm los ntawm stealth tom qab tsim tawm lawv lub platform. Nws nyuam qhuav tshaj tawm txog € 5.5 lab ($ 5.4m) cov noob nyiaj txiag puag ncig coj los ntawm Index Ventures, Kindred Capital, thiab cov tub ua lag luam Angel suav nrog John Zimmer, tus tsim thiab tus thawj tswj hwm ntawm LyftLyft
, thiab Emily Leproust, CEO thiab tus tsim ntawm Twist Bioscience. Nrog ob qhov chaw - ib qho hauv Delft, Lub Netherlands, thiab ib qho yog Zurich, Switzerland, - Cradle tab tom hla lub ntiaj teb ntawm biology thiab kev txawj ntse txawj ntse, lub zog fusion ntawm cov thev naus laus zis uas cuam tshuam rau kev cuam tshuam txoj kev kws tshawb fawb tsim cov proteins.

Tsis txhob raug dag los ntawm lub tuam txhab seemingly nqaim tsom rau cov proteins. Lawv tsis yog ib yam uas peb noj - txawm tias engineering tsiaj tsis muaj nqaij, qe, thiab mis nyuj cov khoom yog qhov tseem ceeb ntawm cov khoom siv hluavtaws. Proteins kuj yog cov tshuab lom neeg muaj ntau yam uas ua rau txhua qhov yuav luag ua haujlwm hauv cov hlwb thiab muaj kev sib npaug ntau li kev siv sab nraud ntawm biology. Xav txog cov enzymes uas siv rau hauv cov tshuaj ntxuav tes, tshuaj pleev ib ce, thiab textiles; los yog cov tshuaj tiv thaiv uas ua rau muaj zog kho mob; los yog, qhov tseeb, lwm qhov chaw ntawm biotechnology qhov twg cov proteins catalyze cov tshuaj tiv thaiv los ua cov khoom xws li cov khoom lag luam thiab cov tshuaj tshwj xeeb, flavour thiab fragrances, biofuels, cov ntaub ntawv, thiab lwm yam. Muaj ntau suav tsis txheeb siv rau cov biomolecules no, thiab Cradle xav ua kom muaj kev siv ntau ntxiv nrog lub peev xwm los tsim cov proteins uas ua haujlwm ntau yam.

Cradle tus co-founder thiab CEO Stef van Grieken yog tus kheej piav qhia "purveyor ntawm cov protein zoo". Nws tau siv sijhawm kaum xyoo dhau los ua haujlwm ntawm Google AI coj txoj kev loj hlob ntawm ntau lub tshuab kev kawm ntawv, nrog rau ntawm X, Google's "moonshot Hoobkas", ntsuam xyuas qhov ua tau ntawm cov haujlwm thaum ntxov. Thaum nws nyob hauv GoogleGOOG
, nws tau fascinated nrog cov lus ntawm cov proteins - yuav ua li cas cov amino acid sequences txhais rau hauv cov qauv folding tshwj xeeb thiab cov qauv tsim uas tso cai rau cov protein kom ua tiav lawv cov haujlwm sophisticated. Txij thaum ntawd los, nws tau ua haujlwm ntawm lub tswv yim los muab cov cuab yeej siv ua lus ntuj nrog peb txoj kev nkag siab txog kev hloov pauv protein li cas rau hauv kev ua haujlwm los ua kom muaj kev kwv yees zoo dua rau kev tsim cov protein ntau.

Designer proteins yog kev lag luam ntau txhiab daus las: kev ua lag luam tau npaj kom ncav cuag $ 3.9 lub nyiaj los ntawm 2024, uas tau tsav los ntawm ntau qhov kev kho mob raws li cov protein. Tab sis nws tuaj yeem yog qhov loj dua: muaj peev xwm loj heev rau kev faib tawm mus rau lwm qhov chaw ntawm cov khoom siv hluav taws xob, yog tias tsuas yog tsim cov proteins kev cai tsis yooj yim. Txoj kev protein engineering tam sim no ua tiav yog los ntawm kev sim thiab ua yuam kev hauv chav kuaj, thiab qhov kev ua tau zoo ntawm kev ntaus cov qauv tsim yog tsawg dua 1%. Txhawm rau kom muaj kev vam meej, biologists tuaj yeem siv cov cuab yeej software xws li Rosetta or AlphaFold los kwv yees cov qauv protein raws li nws cov kab ke. Proteins pib tawm raws li cov hlua ntawm cov amino acids uas quav rau hauv 3D duab zoo li origami. Tab sis kev kwv yees tus qauv folding yog ib qho teeb meem tsis txaus ntseeg, thiab ib qho kev pab cuam zoo li Rosetta yuav tsum muaj kev cob qhia ntau xyoo thiab ntau txhiab lub khoos phis tawj khiav.

Cradle tab tom mus txog qhov teeb meem sib txawv: lawv siv cov qauv tsim los rau "rov qab engineer" cov proteins. Tej zaum koj yuav tau hnov ​​​​txog lossis txawm siv cov qauv tsim qauv zoo li SLAB uas tuaj yeem tsim cov duab tshiab raws li cov lus piav qhia. Cradle tus tsim tau xav siv tib txoj cai los tsim cov qauv protein tshiab. Hloov chaw ntawm kev siv cov qauv ua qauv, lawv siv tshuab kev kawm algorithms uas tau kawm ntawm cov ntaub ntawv tiag. Tus neeg siv tuaj yeem qhia meej yam ntawm cov protein uas lawv xav tsim, thiab lub platform yuav muab cov npe ntawm cov kab ke uas tuaj yeem tsim cov qauv ntawd. Thiab qhov zoo tshaj plaws yog - koj tsis tas yuav yog tus kws tshaj lij kev kawm siv nws:

"Cradle txoj kev qhia tus kheej, kev txhim kho tus kheej ntawm cov qauv kev kawm ntawm lub tshuab kev kawm kos rau ntawm qhov kev nce qib tsis ntev los no hauv 'natural language processing' los kwv yees seb qhov twg ntawm cov protein cov noob caj noob ces yuav tsum hloov pauv, txhim kho tus kws tshawb fawb txoj hauv kev ua tiav qhov kev sim ua tau zoo yam tsis muaj xav tau lub tshuab-kev kawm keeb kwm yav dhau, ", CEO hais hauv xov xwm tshaj tawm. "Los ntawm txoj kev no, Cradle ntseeg tias nws tuaj yeem txo lub sijhawm thiab tus nqi ntawm kev tau txais cov khoom siv hluavtaws hluavtaws los ua lag luam los ntawm qhov kev txiav txim loj."

Niaj hnub no, feem ntau biotech thiab hluavtaws biology tuam txhab uas muag tau tso tseg rau lawv tus kheej li thaum nws los txog rau engineering proteins. Cov neeg tseem ceeb nyob rau hauv protein engineering teb xws li Thermo Fischer, Danaher, Agilent TechnologiesA
, thiab Bio-Rad, nrog rau cov tuam txhab me me nyiam CodexisCDXS
, Genscript, Caribou Biosciences, Arzeda, thiab Cov Khoom Noj Tsis Taus. Tab sis rau ntau lub tuam txhab hluavtaws biology, protein engineering yog ib txoj hauv kev rau qhov kawg, thiab qhov lawv tau tsom mus rau yog qhov kev siv qis qis ntawm cov proteins kev cai. Cradle xav muab lawv cov cuab yeej los txhim kho lawv txoj hauv kev ua tiav: "Peb xav pab pawg engineers proteins nrog tsawg dua thiab ua tiav kev sim," said Stef.

Cradle nws tus kheej tsis yog hluavtaws biology lossis lub tuam txhab kev kawm tshuab - lawv yog ob qho tib si. “Peb tsis xav ua ib lub tuam txhab kawm tshuab xwb; koj yeej yuav tsum nkag siab txog biology ib yam nkaus, ”Stef hais. Nrog kev txawj ntse hauv tshuab kev kawm tshuab thiab kev txawj lab lab uas lawv cov tswv cuab coj los ntawm cov tuam txhab xws li Google, IBMIBM
, Zymergen, thiab Perfect Day, Cradle pab pawg ntawm tsuas yog 13 tus neeg tau tsim lub platform ua haujlwm hauv ib xyoos. Tsis muaj ntau lub tuam txhab lag luam hauv qhov chaw no. Cyrus Bio tsim los ntawm Rosetta tus tsim tawm David Baker, tus xibfwb ntawm University of Washington, yog lwm qhov uas siv AI-pab protein tsim los tsim kho tshiab.

Txhawm rau kom haum rau pab pawg Cradle ntau haiv neeg, lub tuam txhab tau nyiam cov tub ua lag luam los ntawm ntau qhov chaw ntawm tech, suav nrog tus tsim ntawm DNA synthesis tuam txhab Twist Bioscience Emily Leproust thiab Lyft tus thawj tswj hwm John Zimmer. Cov paj laum los ntawm lub tuam txhab sib koom caij tsheb yuav xav tsis thoob thaum xub thawj; tab sis ntau qhov kev nce qib hauv kev kawm tshuab tau los ntawm lwm qhov chaw ntawm tech. Lub tuam txhab tus co-founder Jelle Prins nws tus kheej tuaj ntawm UberUBER
thiab tau koom nrog tsim thiab tsim thawj cov apps rau ntau lub tuam txhab ua tiav zoo li Uber thiab Booking.com.

Thiab qhov ntawd yog qhov tshwm sim thaum sib txawv ntawm thaj chaw sib sib zog nqus tech kev sib tsoo: lub galaxy ntawm kev muaj peev xwm tshiab tau yug los. Stef xav txog nws lub tuam txhab txhawb kev tsim kho cov khoom siv hluav taws xob hauv cov tshuaj lom neeg thiab cov khoom xyaw chaw, cov ntaub ntawv tshawb fawb thiab kev tsim vaj tsev, thiab lwm qhov chaw: "Zoo siab tias peb yuav ua lub luag haujlwm rau ntau lub tuam txhab tsim khoom vim tias tus nqi tau txais [khoom] rau kev ua lag luam yuav tsum poob qis. Yog tias koj tuaj yeem tsim cov khoom lag luam bio-based nrog pab pawg ntawm 15 tus neeg hauv ob peb xyoos thiab tsuas yog ob peb lab nyiaj, qhov ntawd yuav ua tiav. "

Cradle's software twb tau siv los ntawm ntau lub tuam txhab, thiab lawv xav faib nws kom dav li sai tau. Qhov no yog vim li cas lub platform yog pub dawb rau kev kawm. Cradle kuj tseem muab cov ntsiab lus IP tus phooj ywg, qhov twg cov neeg siv tsis tas yuav them cov nuj nqis ntawm cov khoom lag luam tsim los ntawm kev siv lub platform, nrog rau ua tiav kev ceev ntiag tug thiab kev nyab xeeb los tiv thaiv kev lag luam zais cia. "Peb xav ua kom muaj rau txhua tus neeg los tsim kev ywj pheej ntawm cov protein engineering," yog lub zeem muag ntawm Cradle CEO. Stef yuav tau hais lus ntawm SynBioBeta lub rooj sib tham rau xyoo tom ntej, qhov chaw uas cov thawj coj ntawm biology hluavtaws thiab cov neeg pom kev sib sau ua ke los ua kom muaj lub neej ntev dua. Cia peb saib seb cov tswv yim tshiab Cradle's technology yuav txhawb nqa dab tsi.

Ua tsaug rau koj Katia Tarasava rau kev tshawb fawb ntxiv thiab qhia txog kab lus no. Kuv yog tus tsim ntawm SynBioBeta, thiab qee lub tuam txhab uas kuv sau txog, suav nrog Twist Bioscience, yog tus txhawb nqa ntawm Rooj sablaj SynBioBeta thiab limtiam zom.