Deep Genomics, a Toronto-based techbio company founded in 2014, recently opened a new office and lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, an expansion of its Toronto office, and several leadership hires. The company, which has more than 100 employees with a background in areas spanning AI, automation, molecular biology, clinical development and software engineering, aims to develop RNA therapies for genetic diseases using machine learning.
Executives joining the company include the following:
- Radu Dobrin, Ph.D., joins as Chief Technology Officer. Previously SVP of Translational Sciences at Pathos AI and VP of Discovery and Translational Science at Tempus AI, Dr. Dobrin brings extensive experience in AI and technology development. He will lead advancements in Deep Genomics’ proprietary AI foundation platform.
- Greg Hoffman, Ph.D., has been appointed Chief Scientific Officer. Formerly VP of Discovery and Platform at Arbor Biotechnologies, Dr. Hoffman is an expert in leveraging AI and data science for R&D. He will focus on identifying novel applications of Deep Genomics’ AI platform to address unmet needs in target discovery and therapeutics development for RNA-biology.
- Joel Shor joins as Vice President and Head of Machine Learning. With a background in software engineering at Alphabet’s Verily Life Sciences, Shor brings significant experience in AI and machine learning within R&D. He will spearhead the advancement of the company’s AI and machine learning capabilities to accelerate innovation.
- Clive Bertram takes on the role of Chief Business Officer. Having served as Chief Commercial Officer at ObsEva, Bertram has a strong background in commercialization and strategic business development. He will play a key role in expanding Deep Genomics’ reach and impact.
AI workbench platform targets metabolic and neurological disorders
The company has developed a platform known as the “AI Workbench” that analyzes genomic data to identify therapeutic targets and design RNA-based drug candidates for genetically-defined diseases. The company is focusing on developing treatments for metabolic disorders like Wilson disease and refractory gout, as well as neurological conditions such as frontotemporal dementia, Niemann-Pick disease, pediatric epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
In 2021, Deep Genomics raised $180 million in a Series C funding round, reportedly the largest biotech funding round in Canadian history at the time. The company has also established research collaborations with institutions like Mila, the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, to further develop AI applications for drug discovery. Deep Genomics’ founder and CEO, Brendan Frey, also co-founded the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Filed Under: Genomics/Proteomics, machine learning and AI, Rare disease
