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Genesis Therapeutics, an AI-powered drug discovery firm based in Burlingame, California, recently partnered with NVIDIA to enhance its GEMS platform. This collaboration, supported by an equity investment from NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital division, aims to advance the discovery of small molecule drugs targeting “undruggable” proteins. This initiative builds on previous funding rounds, including Genesis' oversubscribed $200 million Series B, bringing the company’s total funding to over $300 million.
Genesis’ GEMS platform integrates AI-driven generative and predictive models with molecular simulations to design drugs with high precision. Using advanced techniques like language and diffusion models combined with machine learning, GEMS interprets 3D structures of proteins and drug molecules. This allows the platform to predict interactions between molecules and their target proteins based solely on structural information, improving the ability to target complex therapeutic areas where traditional methods fall short. The platform’s unique graph-based approach to protein-ligand interactions enhances the prediction accuracy of potential drug candidates.
The NVIDIA partnership will focus on optimizing neural network architectures, specifically equivariant neural networks that handle 3D geometric data of proteins and drug-like molecules. By making these computations faster and more efficient, Genesis can speed up drug discovery, identifying promising drug candidates and designing molecules tailored to specific therapeutic needs.
NVIDIA's involvement would allow Genesis to push its AI capabilities further in addressing difficult-to-target diseases. NVIDIA’s Mohamed Siddeek noted that this collaboration would help deliver new generative and predictive AI techniques for exploring unique chemical pathways, ultimately accelerating therapeutic discoveries.
In addition to NVIDIA, Genesis collaborates with prominent pharmaceutical companies like Genentech, Eli Lilly, and Gilead Sciences, underscoring its influence in AI-driven drug development. This partnership marks a significant step toward optimizing the drug discovery process, making strides in identifying new treatments for challenging diseases.
