PR97805

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Debiopharm Innovation Fund strategically invests in Whitelab Genomics' mission

to make genomic medicine development faster and leaner for more efficient

access to cancer patients in the future

Debiopharm Innovation Fund, the strategic investment arm of Swiss

biopharmaceutical company Debiopharm

( www.Debiopharm.com )[https://www.debiopharm.com/], announced today their

investment in Whitelab Genomics alongside French Venture Capital company, Omnes

Capital, in a $10 Million Series A Round to advance their mission to accelerate

the development of genomics medicines via technology powered by artificial

intelligence (AI). Whitelab Genomics' computational platform reduces

biotherapies' development time and cost, enabling faster access to the market

and cheaper therapeutic solutions available for patients in need. Debiopharm's

investment in Whitelabs Genomics contributes to the growth plan of the

start-up' R&D team and US operations. Such an investment aligns with

Debiopharm's focus on investing in digital health solutions that improve the

cancer patient journey, transform pharmaceutical R&D, and shift healthcare

towards a more patient-centric approach.

Founded in 2019 by David Del Bourgo, MBA, and Julien Cottineau, Ph.D.,

alongside a team of world-class data scientists specialized in AI,

computational biologists, molecular biologists, and genomic medicine

scientists, the start-up offers in-silico simulations customized for target

discovery, vector, and payload design, genotoxicity assessment and

identification of experimental protocols of in vitro and in vivo strategies.

"We're moving into a time where AI-based technology will play a critical role

in drug development. With better ways to develop drugs, de-risk assets, de-risk

any toxicity, and ensure efficacy, we're able to bring more personalized drugs

to patients – that's precisely what Whitelab Genomics is proven to do," stated

Tanja Dowe, CEO of the Debiopharm Innovation Fund.

"The value of using this AI-based platform is the potential acceleration of

pre-clinical, translational stage, helping drug research companies quickly

design payloads and vectors and identify the best experimental protocols for in

vitro and in vivo tests," said Hamzeh Abdul-Hadi, Investment Director of the

Debiopharm Innovation Fund.

"We are very excited to close this first institutional investment round with

such renowned investors with deep knowledge of the pharma environment. With

this funding, we can continue developing our proprietary data sets and

algorithms for both payload and vectors, and develop our collaborations with

our customers," expressed David Del Bourgo, CEO and co-founder of Whitelab

Genomics.

About Whitelab Genomics

WhiteLab Genomics, based in Paris and Cambridge (MA) was founded in 2019 by

David Del Bourgo and Julien Cottineau, experts in genomics drug development and

commercialization. WhiteLab Genomics aims to revolutionize genomic therapies

development using public and private data and in-house AI algorithms. Whitelab

Genomics supports its clients through the in-silico development phases enabling

them to quickly develop target vectors and payloads and save precious time

needed to give patients access to new genomic therapies. In only 2 years,

Whitelab Genomics has convinced leading European and US Biotech and pharma to

use its solutions for their new drug development programs, including RNA, DNA &

Cell therapies. WhiteLab Genomics is also collaborating with world-renowned

INSERM and Genethon laboratories and has been selected by Y-Combinator in its

Winter 2022 batch. The company has won multiple awards, including the Galien

Foundation nominee for startups, the Alumni New Venture Fund from the Polsky

Innovation Center at the University of Chicago, and the Future 40 from Station

F.

For more information, please visit www.whitelabgx.com  [https://whitelabgx.com/]

About Debiopharm Innovation Fund

Debiopharm Innovation Fund, the strategic investment arm of Swiss

biopharmaceutical company Debiopharm, provides strategic funding and guidance

for companies with an ambition to improve the patient journey, re-imagine how

clinical trials are conducted, along with companies offering digital platforms

that support cutting-edge drug technologies. Since 2017 Debiopharm has invested

in 14 digital health companies, typically leading the investment rounds.

For more information, please visit www.debiopharm.com/digital-health/ 

We are on Twitter. Follow us @DebiopharmNews at

http://twitter.com/DebiopharmNews

Debiopharm Contact

Dawn Bonine

Head of Communications

dawn.bonine@debiopharm.com

Tel: +41 (0)21 321 01 11

SOURCE: Debiopharm International SA