Abiologics Emerges to Introduce New Class of Biologic Drugs

Flagship Pioneering, a bioplatform innovation company, has announced the launch of Abiologics, a new venture focused on revolutionizing the field of biologics through the creation of Synteins™, a new class of supranatural and programmable medicines. These Synteins are computationally generated and synthesized using novel building blocks, which imbue them with unique properties aimed at treating a broad spectrum of diseases. The initial funding commitment from Flagship Pioneering is $50 million to develop Abiologics' platform and create a pipeline of medicines, with a primary focus on oncology and immunology.

According to Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, biologics have significantly advanced medicine over the past four decades, but their potential has been constrained by natural limitations. The convergence of generative artificial intelligence, automated polymer synthesis, and chemical functionalization has enabled the design of biologics using entirely new building blocks, potentially overcoming these limitations.

Abiologics' platform integrates advanced digital and automated wet-lab infrastructure to create these novel biologics. By leveraging generative artificial intelligence, Abiologics can design Synteins de novo using a variety of artificial building blocks that extend beyond the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. These include D-amino acids, which are chemically identical mirror images of standard amino acids.

This approach leverages cutting-edge generative AI for design and innovative chemical synthesis techniques for production. 
The result is a class of biotherapeutics with extraordinary properties, including the following:

✔ Immune evasion: By using non-natural building blocks, Synteins can potentially avoid recognition by the immune system.

✔ Enhanced stability: This could lead to less frequent dosing and possibly oral delivery options.

✔ Improved tissue penetration: Synteins may access previously unreachable parts of the body.

✔ Programmability: These molecules can be designed to interact with virtually any therapeutic target.
 

Once designed, Synteins are chemically synthesized using pioneering new technologies. These Synteins can be programmed to interact with virtually any therapeutic target while evading the body's natural defenses, making them more effective and stable compared to traditional biologics.

See also: 4 Biotech Startups Developing Breakthrough Drug Modalities

Avak Kahvejian, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Abiologics, emphasized that this new approach allows for the creation of chemically synthesized biologics at scale with increased programmability. This innovation offers significant advantages, such as less frequent dosing, oral delivery, and the ability to reach previously inaccessible parts of the body. The potential of Synteins to remain unrecognized by the immune system opens up new possibilities for treating a wide range of diseases.

Abiologics aims to redefine therapeutic possibilities by leveraging cutting-edge generative AI and high-throughput chemical protein synthesis. Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2021, Abiologics seeks to bring transformative medicines to patients, utilizing the unprecedented capabilities of Synteins to address a wide range of diseases.

Topics: Emerging Technologies