TLDR:
– Talus Bioscience, a drug discovery company, raised $11.2 million in a seed+ round led by Two Bear Capital
– The funding will be used to advance therapeutic programs and expand the MARMOT platform, which uses AI to accelerate drug discovery
Talus Bioscience, a drug discovery company founded by scientific leaders in proteomics, biochemistry, and machine learning, recently announced $11.2 million in new venture funding. The seed+ round was led by Two Bear Capital, with participation from other investors such as WRF Capital, NFX, YC Continuity Fund, Funders Club VC, and BoxOne Ventures. This funding will be invested to advance Talus Bio’s therapeutic programs, including those targeting Brachyury-driven cancers and an undruggable transcription factor implicated in prostate cancer. Additionally, the funding will accelerate the expansion of the company’s proprietary Multiplexed Assays for the Rational Modulation Of Transcription Factors (MARMOT) platform.
The MARMOT platform utilizes new AI models trained on Talus Bio’s dataset for transcription factor activity, which is currently the largest in the world. Through MARMOT, machine learning models can rapidly identify optimal candidates from billions of compounds, replacing time-consuming high-throughput screens that have historically failed for transcription factors. This technology enables the acceleration of discovery screening in live, unmodified human cells, where targets fold and function properly. Transcription factors are proteins that regulate the genome by binding to DNA and orchestrating gene expression, and when they go awry, they can drive diseases like cancer, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, fibrosis, and neurological conditions.
As of now, Talus Bio has secured six non-dilutive grant awards exceeding $7.3 million in addition to $19.7 million in venture funding, including this latest round. J. Seth Strattan, PhD, General Partner at Two Bear Capital, will gain a seat on the Talus Bio board as part of the financing agreement. Talus Bioscience CEO and Co-Founder Alex Federation, PhD, expressed excitement about the funding and the opportunities it presents for the company to advance their AI-driven drug discovery efforts. Avery Sonnenberg, PhD, Principal at lead investor Two Bear Capital, also praised Talus Bio’s platform and its potential to redefine how complex diseases are treated and improve patient outcomes globally.
