Bioptimus Raises $76M to Develop Revolutionary 'GPT for Biology' AI Model

Bioptimus: The GPT for Biology and Its Potential Impact

Bioptimus Unveils Groundbreaking AI Foundation Model for Biology Bioptimus, a pioneer in AI foundation models, has raised $76 million in funding with $41 million in the last round by Cathay Innovation. This funding will help ramp up Bioptimus's efforts to improve biological science through its multi-scale, multi-modal AI base model which is due out in 2025. As its founding principle, Bioptimus has set its goal in transcending the present barrier that has long discouraged the integration of multiple and distinct biological fields. Being based on big data analysis of molecules, cells, tissues, organisms, and others, Bioptimus's platform provides a comprehensive view at biology boosting ideas and discoveries.

Bioptimus raises $41M to build 'GPT for biology' - SiliconANGLE

Bioptimus, a French artificial intelligence model startup, said today it has raised $41 million that will go toward building what it says will be the world's first universal AI foundation model for biology research. The round was led by Cathay Innovation with participation from existing investor Sofinnova Partners, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm that led the company's seed funding round less than 12 months ago. Bpifrance joined the financing through its Large Venture Fund alongside Andera Partners, Hitachi Ventures, Boom Capital Ventures, Pomifer Capital and Sunrise. Today's funding brings the total raised by the company to $76 million. Bioptimus said that it intends to revolutionize the way that biology research will be done by using artificial intelligence foundation models that have access to all biological data and knowledge. Most biology research tends to remain within a single scope such as DNA, proteins, cells or tissues, which limits its potential impact. To address the problem, the company released its first model, H-Optimus-0, the world's largest foundation model for pathology. Launched in November, the model has 1.1 billion parameters and is trained on a proprietary dataset of several hundreds of millions of images extracted from more than 500,000 pathology slides across 4,000 clinical practices. By bringing together as many different scales and modalities into the foundation model as possible, Bioptimus said, it can produce a biology model that can help accelerate research by providing a better model of reality. It does this by integrating data from every level including molecules, cells, tissues and organisms that are built from datasets from imaging, genetics and more. According to Bioptimus, many AI models on the market also suffer from similarly limited scope. By making H-Optimus-0 as universal as possible, it can handle as many biology cases as researchers need and provide them answers at any resolution within their expertise. "What we are building is not just a technological breakthrough; it's a transformative tool for understanding biology in its full complexity," said co-founder and Chief Executive Jean-Philippe Vert. "Essentially, it's like the GPT of biology -- but instead of generating text, we're simulating biology." Vert said by modeling entire organisms down to the smallest molecules, the AI will provide the capability to empower researchers to predict disease outcomes in cellular systems and the response to treatments, allowing them to design therapies. Beyond pharmaceuticals, it could drive breakthroughs in understanding how gene expression affects cell division in cancer patients or enable biotechnology discoveries. The company said the funding will be used to enhance its current AI platform to integrate even more diverse data sources and therapeutic areas. It's also intended to enable the company to expand its critical datasets to refine and validate its models. According to the company, H-Optimus-0 has outperformed all other pathology models in independent benchmarks, including the Harvard Medical School's HEST program and the University of Leeds assessments. In these studies, the model showed it was particularly successful for predicting gene expression based on cell identification and capable of accurately subtyping ovarian cancer.

Bioptimus raises $41 to build 'GPT for biology' - SiliconANGLE

Bioptimus, a French artificial intelligence model startup, said today it raised $41 million that will go towards building what it says will be the world's first universal AI foundation model for biology research. The round was led by Cathay Innovation with participation from existing investor Sofinnova Partners, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm that led the company's seed funding round less than 12 months ago. Bpifrance joined the financing through its Large Venture Fund alongside Andera Partners, Hitachi Ventures, Boom Capital Ventures, Pomifer Capital and Sunrise. Today's funding brings the total raised by Bioptimus to $76 million. Bioptimus said that it intends to revolutionize the way that biology research will be done by using artificial intelligence foundation models that have access to all biological data and knowledge. Most biology research tends to remain within a single scope such as DNA, proteins, cells or tissues, which limits its potential impact. To address the problem the company released its first model, H-Optimus-0, the world's largest foundation model for pathology. Launched in November, the model has 1.1 billion parameters and is trained on a proprietary dataset of several hundreds of millions of images extracted from over 500,000 pathology slides across 4,000 clinical practices. By bringing together as many different scales and modalities into the foundation model as possible, Bioptimus said it can produce a biology model that can help accelerate research by providing a better model of reality. It does this by integrating data from every level including molecules, cells, tissues and organisms that are built from datasets from imaging, genetics and more. According to Bioptimus, many AI models on the market also suffer from similarly limited scope. By making H-Optimus-0 as universal as possible, it can handle as many biology cases as researchers need and provide them answers at any resolution within their expertise. "What we are building is not just a technological breakthrough; it's a transformative tool for understanding biology in its full complexity," said Jean-Philippe Vert, co-founder and chief executive of Bioptimus. "Essentially, it's like the GPT of biology -- but instead of generating text, we're simulating biology." Vert said by modeling entire organisms down to the smallest molecules, the AI will provide the capability to empower researchers to predict disease outcomes in cellular systems and the response to treatments, allowing them to design therapies. Beyond pharmaceuticals, it could drive breakthroughs in understanding how gene expression affects cell division in cancer patients or enable biotechnology discoveries. The company said the funding would be used to enhance its current AI platform to integrate even more diverse data sources and therapeutic areas. It would also allow the company to expand its critical datasets to further refine and validate its models. According to the company, H-Optimus-0 has outperformed all other pathology models in independent benchmarks, including the Harvard Medical School's HEST program and the University of Leeds assessments. In these studies, the model showed it was particularly successful for predicting gene expression based on cell identification and capable of accurately subtyping ovarian cancer.

Bioptimus nabs $41m to develop 'ChatGPT for biology'

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. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Bioptimus Hits $76M Funding Milestone and Prepares to Launch Groundbreaking Foundation Model for Biology By Investing.com

The new model will allow the simulation of biology at unprecedented scale and dimension, creating biological innovation for medical, biotech, cosmetic industries, and beyond PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bioptimus, the pioneering AI foundation model company, announced today that it has reached a significant funding milestone of $76 million. This total includes a $41 million cash injection, led by Cathay Innovation with participation from prominent investors, including Sofinnova Partners, Bpifrance through its Large Venture Fund, Andera Partners, Hitachi (OTC:HTHIY) Ventures, Boom Capital Ventures, Pomifer Capital, Sunrise, and angel entrepreneurs Emmanuel Cassimatis and Thomas Wolf. The funding will accelerate Bioptimus's mission to build the world's first universal AI foundation model for biology, aimed at revolutionizing research and innovation across the medical, biotech, cosmetic industries, and beyond. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250114054102/en/ The company has been building momentum this year, assembling a world-class team, securing access to unique data sources, and successfully releasing its first model, H-Optimus-0, the world's largest foundation model for pathology. H-Optimus-0 has already outperformed all other pathology models in independent benchmarks, including assessments conducted by Harvard Medical (TASE:PMCN) School's HEST program1 and the University of Leeds.2 These studies highlighted the model's unparalleled ability to predict gene expression from morphology and to subtype ovarian cancer with exceptional accuracy. Breaking Down Silos in Biology Bioptimus is redefining how we approach biological research by addressing a longstanding issue: the siloed nature of biological understanding. Historically, research has focused on isolated biological components, such as DNA, proteins, cells or tissues. Even existing AI foundation models operate within these silos, limiting their potential impact. Bioptimus's revolutionary approach integrates data across multiple scales (molecules, cells, tissues, organisms) and modalities (imaging, genetics, etc), enabling a holistic view of biology as it exists in reality. Jean-Philippe Vert, co-founder and CEO of Bioptimus, stated: What we are building is not just a technological breakthrough; it's a transformative tool for understanding biology in its full complexity. 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. 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. The funding will enable Bioptimus to enhance its multi-modal AI platform, integrating even more diverse data sources and therapeutic areas, forge strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies and expand critical datasets to further refine and validate its models. Jacky Abitbol, Partner at Cathay Innovation, said: "Bioptimus is at the forefront of transforming biological research, leveraging cutting-edge AI to break down silos and unlock the full complexity of biology. By integrating data across multiple scales and modalities, Bioptimus is paving the way for groundbreaking innovations across industries, from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology and beyond. 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, the largest in the world." By combining the power of AI with a truly integrated view of biology, Bioptimus will empower researchers and multiple industries to solve some of the most complex challenges in medicine, biotechnology, and beyond. Cathay Innovation is a multistage venture capital firm, affiliated to Cathay Capital, investing in founders building transformative businesses across Europe, North America, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Its platform connects founders with investors and its ecosystem of leading Fortune500 corporations to help startups scale and transform industries with consumer to enterprise and AI solutions in commerce, fintech, digital health and mobility / energy. Founded in Paris in 2015, Cathay Innovation now manages over €2.5B AUM with additional offices in Berlin, San Francisco, Shanghai and Singapore and has invested in over 100 startups including Chime, Pinduoduo (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:PDD), Glovo, Wallbox (NYSE: NYSE:WBX), Owkin, Getaround, Ledger, ZenBusiness, Alma, Descartes (NASDAQ:DSGX) Underwriting and more. To learn more, visit us at www.cathayinnovation.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter @cathayinnov.

Bioptimus raises $41M to develop a 'GPT for biology' | TechCrunch

A fledgling French AI startup has raised $41 million to develop a foundational AI model for biology. Just as OpenAI's ChatGPT has taken the world by storm for a super-smart generative AI tool capable of natural language conversation in text form, Bioptimus is taking that basic concept but training its model specifically for downstream biological applications -- something that comes with its own unique set of challenges, given that the required clinical training data is inclined to be sensitive, and not publicly available. Bioptimus co-founder and CEO Jean-Philippe Vert says the company is looking to develop a greater understanding of biology by learning how it works from raw data spanning molecules to entire organisms. This, he says, will enable scientists and researchers to simulate the biological world to "predict disease outcomes" and develop more effective treatments. And it's this simulation that Vert says makes its technology a little akin to what ChatGPT's underlying model is all about. "Beyond pharmaceuticals, this model will unlock limitless possibilities across many other industries, driving biological discoveries in ways we are only beginning to imagine," Vert said in a statement. "Essentially, it's like the GPT of biology -- but instead of generating text, we're simulating biology." France has emerged as something of a hotbed for AI startups, with generative AI companies across the country securing the lion's share of funding as of last year. Mega funding rounds include Mistral AI's $640 million tranche, "H" securing $220 million, and Hugging Face closing a $235 million investment -- all in the past 18 months. Bioptimus, for its part, was only founded last year, but already it raised a $35 million seed round. That it has now raised a grant total of $76 million, less than a year from its foundation, is testament not only to the current AI hype, but also the backgrounds of Bioptimus's six co-founders. Chief technology officer (CTO) Rodolphe Jenatton, for instance, was previously a senior research scientist at Amazon and Google. Vert, meanwhile, is not only co-founder and CEO at Bioptimus, but he's also chief R&D officer at Owkin, a French unicorn and yet another AI-infused biotech startup with backers including GV. This dual role hints at Bioptimus's origins. Owkin leverages AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery, and has built a swathe of partnerships with top biopharmaceutical companies. As part of this work, Owkin has also amassed a ton of multimodal patient data, which is what Bioptimus will using to train its foundational model. So, rather than creating a tangential unit inside Owkin that was focused on foundational models, it simply made more sense to create a separate entity. "Building biology [foundational models] is not a part of Owkin's roadmap, but Owkin supports and is keen to partner with a company like Bioptimus," Vert explained to TechCrunch in an interview last year. "Training very large-scale [foundational models] requires important resources in terms of data volume, computing power and breadth of data modalities that are easier to unlock as a specific entity. As a 'pure player' in foundational models, Bioptimus is better set up to do this." In the intervening months, Bioptimus launched H-Optimus-0, an open source foundation model for pathology, which was trained on millions of images to help in the research and diagnoses of diseases, such as cancer. Bioptimus's latest cash injection was led by U.S. venture capital firm Cathay Innovation, with participation from Sofinnova Partners, Bpifrance, Andera Partners, Hitachi Ventures, Boom Capital Ventures, Pomifer Capital, Sunrise, and several angel investors. The company said it would use the funding to bolster its AI platform with a more diverse array of data sources covering broader therapeutic areas, while it will also look to build further partnerships with the pharmaceutical and biotech sector.