€2.85 million to accelerate AI in drug discovery

At the heart of InVirtuoLabs' innovation is the Next Generation Virtual Lab, a proprietary platform that uses AI and molecular modeling to identify and optimize drugs with proven precision. This approach allows for doubling success rates compared to current research methods, drastically reducing both costs, currently exceeding €2.4 billion per drug, and development times, currently averaging 12 years.

"Our system is not limited to analysing existing data, but generates and tests billions of new molecules, identifying the best ones for efficacy and safety. We want to accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases, an area still lacking adequate solutions," says Gianvito Grasso, Founder and CEO of InVirtuoLabs, and Researcher & Lecturer at IDSIA–Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (USI-SUPSI).  

The platform's first major achievement was the development of an innovative protocol for drugs targeting nuclear receptors, key proteins in regulating fundamental processes such as metabolism, cell growth, and inflammatory response. These receptors are involved in over 100 diseases, including metabolic disorders and some cancers. InVirtuoLabs is already applying this protocol to a receptor involved in high-incidence metabolic diseases, with the aim of accelerating the discovery of new treatments.           

“Since inception, we’ve been adjusting our models while engaging with biotech and pharmaceutical companies of all sizes.” adds Demet Olesen, InVirtuoLabs’ CCO. “These early conversations not only help us sharpen our technology but also ensure we’re addressing real-world industry needs.”

The InVirtuoLabs team brings together experts with over 50 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with backgrounds in leading companies such as Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Baxter, and Helsinn Healthcare, as well as researchers specializing in machine learning. In December 2024, the startup won the Boldbrain Startup Challenge. 

With the closing of the first funding round, InVirtuoLabs is now well positioned to achieve further milestones on its roadmap. In the next 18 months, the startup plans rapid expansion, strengthen the team, initiate strategic collaborations, and expand the capabilities of the platform. Several prominent investors worldwide, from London to Zurich, Milan, and Lugano, to Istanbul, Athens, Singapore, and Seattle, support the company's vision of democratizing access to innovative therapies, making drug discovery faster, more precise, and economically sustainable.

(Press release/RAN)
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