human-genetics
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Scott Gies Took the Scenic Route to Biotech
Before Scott Gies cofounded Zoe Biosciences, he studied genomes, octopus cognition and marine conservation. The connecting idea is simple: follow the evidence, even when it takes the scenic route.
Sekar Kathiresan Bet His Career on a One-Time Idea
A history major became a cardiologist, a geneticist, and then a first-time founder. His wager was simple to say and difficult to build: turn lessons from naturally protective genes into medicines designed to work once.
Zoe Biosciences Found a Longevity Clue in Amish DNA. Now It Has to Turn That Clue Into a Drug
A rare mutation pointed to longer, healthier lives. Zoe's bet is that two drug programs can borrow the biology without borrowing the mutation - and its newest mouse data put obesity, muscle preservation and a very expensive clinical test on the same page.
Character Biosciences
Character Biosciences is a precision medicine company developing targeted therapies for progressive polygenic diseases, starting in ophthalmology with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). By pairing human genetics with longitudinal clinical and retinal imaging data from thousands of consented patients - and layering AI-enabled biomarker analysis on top - Character reclassifies broad diagnoses into genetically defined subtypes so it can design drugs that target the root drivers of disease progression. Its lead programs, CTX114 (a complement inhibitor for geographic atrophy) and CTX203 (a lipid regulator to prevent progression to advanced AMD), are advancing toward the clinic on the strength of a Series B that grew past $110 million.
Marea Therapeutics
Marea Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in San Francisco developing first-in-class medicines for cardioendocrine and cardiometabolic diseases. Incubated by Third Rock Ventures and led by Dr. Josh Lehrer, Marea uses human genetics insights to drive its pipeline, headlined by MAR001, an ANGPTL4-targeting antibody aimed at residual cardiovascular risk, and MAR002 for acromegaly.
Vesalius Therapeutics
Vesalius Therapeutics is a Cambridge, Massachusetts biotech founded by Flagship Pioneering that aims to reconceptualize how common diseases are understood and treated. Its premise: illnesses that drive roughly 90% of human disease burden are not single conditions but constellations of genetically and biologically distinct diseases. Vesalius uses AI, human genetics and genomics, and patient-derived iPSC cell models to spot hidden clinical patterns, trace them to causal gene circuits, and discover novel drug targets for conditions like Parkinson's, heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
Mirador Therapeutics
Mirador Therapeutics is a San Diego precision-medicine company building first- and best-in-class therapies for immune-mediated inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. Its Mirador360 engine fuses human genetics, multi-modal patient data, AI and advanced analytics to find novel targets, design combination therapies and identify the patients most likely to respond. Founded in 2024 by the former Prometheus Biosciences leadership team, Mirador launched with more than $400 million and has since raised over $650 million total.
insitro
insitro is a machine-learning-driven drug discovery and development company that uses high-content human data, cellular models and AI to find better targets and design better medicines. Founded in 2018 by Daphne Koller, the company runs its own therapeutic pipeline and partners with large pharma on programs in ALS, metabolic disease and oncology.