TLDR:
AI-Powered Xaira has launched with $1B in funding to transform drug discovery and development using artificial intelligence. The San Francisco-based startup has brought together big names in AI research, drug development, and venture capital to build and use an R&D platform.
Summary:
AI-Powered Xaira, an integrated biotechnology company, launched with $1 billion in funding to revolutionize drug discovery and development through artificial intelligence. The startup, based in San Francisco, has partnered with ARCH Venture Partners and Foresite Labs to create an innovative R&D platform. Xaira will focus on advancing AI research from David Baker’s lab at the University of Washington School of Medicine, particularly the RFdiffusion and RFantibody models for protein and antibody design. These models allow for the generation of functional proteins based on minimal molecular specifications.
The executive team at Xaira is led by Marc Tessier-Lavigne, the former chief scientific officer of Genentech, along with other experienced professionals from top companies like Meta and Illumina. Xaira has also acquired technologies and staff from Illumina’s functional genomics R&D operation to apply to challenging drug targets.
Xaira aims to build a pipeline of drug candidates using a combination of lab and clinical data to refine its AI and foundation models. The biotech has garnered funding from various investors, including ARCH Venture Partners, F-Prime, NEA, and others.
