Artificial Intelligence-Driven Drug Discovery Company Verge Genomics Raises $32M

vergeVerge Genomics, a San Francisco, CA-based drug discovery company utilizing machine learning to develop new therapeutics, raised $32m in Series A financing.

The round, which brings total funding raised to-date to more than $36m, was led by DFJ, with participation from WuXi AppTec’s Corporate Venture Fund, ALS Investment Fund, Agent Capital, and OS Fund. With this round, Emily Melton of DFJ will join Verge Genomics’ Board of Directors.

The company intends to use the funds to advance its drug candidates towards the clinic while continuing to expand its proprietary datasets and therapeutic portfolio.

Founded in 2015 by Alice Zhang, CEO, Verge intersects machine learning, neuroscience, and experimental biology to accelerate drug discovery. The company has developed lead therapeutic programs in ALS and Parkinson’s disease establishing partnerships with two pharmaceutical companies. Verge also invested in the creation of its proprietary datasets, generating one of the field’s largest and most comprehensive databases of ALS and Parkinson’s Disease patient genomic data through partnerships with a dozen top-tier academic and government organizations.

Verge has a team is 14 people including 10 Ph.D.s with expertise in machine learning, neuroscience, drug development, applied math, biophysics, and statistics from UCLA, Stanford, Oxford, and UCSF.

FinSMEs

16707/2018

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