Bioptimus nabs $41m to develop ‘ChatGPT for biology’

14 Jan 2025

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The start-up previously released an AI foundation model for pathology last July.

Paris-based start-up Bioptimus has today (14 January) announced a raise of $41m in a recent funding round, which will go towards the development of what it claims is the world’s first universal foundation artificial intelligence (AI) model for biology.

The start-up was founded just last year by Dr Rodolphe Jenatton, Dr Zelda Mariet, Dr Felipe Llinares, David Cahané, Dr Eric Durand and CEO Dr Jean-Philippe Vert. It said it is already setting its sights on creating the world’s first-ever universal AI foundation model that connects biological data at different scales, ranging from molecules to cells, tissues and even entire organisms.

It comes after the company launched its AI foundation model for pathology last July.

The funding round was led by Cathay Innovation with participation from several investors, including Andera Partners, Sofinnova Partners and Bpifrance through its Large Venture Fund. Angel entrepreneurs Emmanuel Cassimatis and Thomas Wolf also contributed to the round. This brings the total funds raised by the start-up to $76m.

Bioptimus intends to use the funds to enhance its platform, integrate more diverse data sources and forge strategic partnerships with pharma and biotech companies.

“By learning how biology works directly from raw data across scales, from molecules to whole organisms, our model will empower researchers in the pharmaceutical industry to simulate complex biology, predict disease outcomes and response to treatment, and design therapies with unprecedented precision,” Vert said.

“Beyond pharmaceuticals, this model will unlock limitless possibilities across many other industries, driving biological discoveries in ways we are only beginning to imagine.

“Essentially, it’s like the GPT of biology – but instead of generating text, we’re simulating biology.”

Jacky Abitbol, a partner at Cathay Innovation, praised the start-up for its progress so far: “We are delighted to see that since our initial investment a year ago, Bioptimus has succeeded in structuring a world-class team, while achieving key milestones in its development, notably with the launch of its AI foundation model for pathology in July.”

Healthcare is one of the many areas that AI can be applied to, and there are already experts predicting that AI will greatly assist these fields in the near future. One article published on the official website of the World Economic Forum claimed that AI is “poised to make healthcare more accurate, accessible and sustainable”.

Moreover, a report published last month found that the AI healthcare market is projected to reach more than $164bn by 2030.

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Ciarán Mather is a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com