Seattle biotech startup Currie Biowhich enables the screening of new drugs using human cell-derived cells and 3D tissue models, announcement $10 million in new funding.
Curi Bio has partnerships and customer relationships with several major biopharmaceutical companies. Its Series B round was led by Seoul-based Dreamciswhich supports biopharma R&D through a wide range of research services.
“We are thrilled to partner with DreamCIS, who share our strong belief that more human-relevant data is urgently needed in the pre-clinical phase of drug discovery,” said Michael Cho, Chief Strategy Officer of Kuri Bio. statement. “Most new drugs fail in human clinical trials because preclinical animal and 2D cell models fail to predict well human outcomes.”
Curi Bio’s platform integrates bioengineered tissues made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with data collection and analysis. The additional funding will accelerate the development of new platforms for cardiac, skeletal muscle, metabolic, smooth muscle and neuromuscular diseases, the company said.
Seattle biotech startup Curie Bio
The Seattle area is a hub for life science and biotech companies, including numerous efforts focused on AI-assisted research. The researchers emphasized the need to test computer-generated drug candidates in the lab to verify their potency and effectiveness.
“Curie Bio’s unique integration of cells, systems and data is a paradigm shift for pre-clinical drug discovery,” said Xionghee Yu, CEO of DreamCIS. We are incredibly impressed by the company’s innovative platform and their ability to generate actionable data from 3D human tissue at scale.
Curie Bio’s most recent funding round was from $10 million investors four years ago. The organization spun out of the University of Washington a decade ago Nanosurface Biomedical.
The company in April celebrated Opening of its new 13,942-square-foot headquarters and research facility on the Seattle waterfront.