Leash Biosciences
Revolutionizing drug discovery with AI-powered biochemical insights.. [Contact for Pricing]
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What is Leash Biosciences?
Leash Biosciences is an AI/ML-native biotechnology company transforming drug design by creating a massive proprietary dataset of protein-molecule interactions. The company screens millions of compounds against thousands of proteins using DNA-encoded chemical libraries and automated in-house protein production to generate billions of biochemical data points, currently measuring over 30 billion protein-molecule interactions.
The core technology is a dynamic, cyclical engine that continuously harnesses experimental data, iterates machine learning models, and refines its approach to identify hits, with each cycle taking only a few months. Their powerful, scalable software rapidly designs novel chemical matter much more likely to have the desired biological activities. The company has made and tested 6.7 million ML-designed molecules.
Leash Bio is primarily for biopharma companies seeking to accelerate drug discovery programs, medicinal chemistry researchers, and drug developers focused on oncology and other diseases. The company runs internal drug development programs starting with two oncology targets and partners with biopharma companies like Monte Rosa Therapeutics to explore new molecule opportunities. They also host machine learning competitions like the Kaggle
Leash Biosciences pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Leash Bio does not publish public pricing. The company operates through partnerships with biopharma companies where they provide novel chemistries in exchange for certain economics. There is no free tier available. Access is through multi-target partnership agreements with biopharma partners like Monte Rosa Therapeutics. The company has raised $9.3M in seed financing and is in Incubator/Accelerator stage.
Leash Biosciences pros
- 30+ billion protein-molecule interactions measured
- 6.7 million ML-designed molecules made and tested
- Screens 700+ protein targets against millions of molecules
- Capacity of 96 protein screens per week
- Dynamic cyclical engine with cycles taking only a few months
- Automated in-house protein production capabilities
- DNA-encoded chemical libraries for efficient compound screening
- Proprietary dataset not available anywhere else
- Powerful scalable software for rapid molecule design
- Trains hundreds of ML models to identify hits
- Multi-target partnership agreements with biopharma
- Internal oncology drug development programs
- Addresses critical data gap in medicinal chemistry
- ML models designed to be generalizable across proteins
- 9.3M seed funding from reputable investors including AWS Generative AI Accelerator
Leash Biosciences cons
- No public pricing or free tier available
- Proprietary dataset not publicly accessible
- Limited to biopharma partners and internal programs
- Still early stage company founded in 2021
- Only 11-20 employees limiting scale
- No public API for external developers
- Focus primarily on oncology targets initially
- Kaggle competition showed prediction challenges with structural bias
Frequently asked questions about Leash Biosciences
What does Leash Bio do?
Leash Bio transforms drug design by creating a massive proprietary dataset of protein-molecule interactions. They screen millions of compounds against thousands of proteins using DNA-encoded chemical libraries and automated in-house protein production to generate billions of data points ideal for training machine learning models in medicinal chemistry.
When was Leash Bio founded?
Leash Bio was founded in 2021 and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah at 48 South Rio Grande Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101.
What is BELKA?
BELKA stands for Big Encoded Library For Chemical Assessment. It is Leash Bio's dataset of protein-small molecule interactions of massive scale with 133 million empirically derived interactions. Leash Bio hosted a Kaggle competition called 'Predict New Medicines with BELKA' asking participants to predict binding affinity of small molecules to protein targets.
How much funding has Leash Bio raised?
Leash Bio has raised $9.3 million in seed financing. Investors include AWS Generative AI Accelerator, Springtide Ventures, MFV Partners, Chris Gibson, Top Harvest Capital, and others.
Who are Leash Bio's customers?
Leash Bio's primary customers are biopharma companies seeking to accelerate drug discovery programs. They work through partnership agreements like their multi-target agreement with Monte Rosa Therapeutics for novel degraders. They also develop medicines internally starting with oncology targets.
What technology does Leash Bio use?
Leash Bio uses a dynamic cyclical engine combining automated in-house protein production, DNA-encoded chemical libraries for screening compounds, and machine learning. Their software builds and refines novel chemical matter more likely to have desired biological activities. Each cycle takes only a few months.
How many protein-molecule interactions has Leash Bio measured?
Leash Bio has measured over 30 billion protein-molecule interactions and has made and tested 6.7 million ML-designed molecules. They are building a dataset with over 700 protein targets screened against millions of molecules at a capacity of 96 per week.
Does Leash Bio have public APIs or data access?
No, Leash Bio's dataset is proprietary and not publicly available. Access is through partnership agreements with biopharma companies. They did release data for their Kaggle competition to advance machine learning in drug discovery.
What therapeutic areas is Leash Bio focusing on?
Leash Bio is starting with two targets in oncology for their internal drug development programs. Their platform can identify novel binders against difficult therapeutic targets, and their partnership with Monte Rosa Therapeutics focuses on novel degraders for difficult-to-drug therapeutic targets.
How can I contact Leash Bio?
You can contact Leash Bio via email at [email protected] or find them on LinkedIn. Their headquarters is at 48 South Rio Grande Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, United States.