Public Funding for Pentabind Ltd

PentaBind, a UK-based Biotech SME, is pioneering an innovative project that seamlessly integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced wet-lab techniques to revolutionise the field of aptamer design. This project, perfectly aligned with the Engineering Biology Accelerator programme, aims to address the significant inefficiencies in current wet-laboratory research practices and unlock the vast potential of aptamers in various applications, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and bioprocessing. For the past two decades, the design of aptamers has faced considerable challenges. Traditional wet-lab methods demonstrate an aptamer commercialiastion success rate below 20% and have been primarily confined to academic research due to their limitation in exploring only a tiny fraction of the sequence space. This inefficiency not only slows down research and development (R&D) processes but also escalates costs substantially, affecting numerous companies and delaying advancements in medical and industrial applications. PentaBind's innovative approach is set to transform this scenario. Central to PentaBind's project is the development of an AI-driven platform for aptamer design, supported by a state-of-the-art integrated wet-lab. This groundbreaking approach surpasses traditional methodologies by focusing on the design of aptamers with key characteristics beyond mere low-binding affinities, vital for commercial applications. By leveraging a novel aptamer data generation protocol and a sophisticated data ingestion pipeline, PentaBind's Machine-Learning-Ops platform significantly narrows down the sequence space exploration, thereby enhancing the design process's efficiency by twentyfold. This acceleration, coupled with a reduction in associated costs, marks a notable leap in aptamer design technology. This project is not just a stride in aptamer technology but a significant contribution to the broader field of Engineering Biology. It holds the promise of reducing the disease burden and advancing biotechnologies, thereby impacting healthcare providers and patients in the long term. Furthermore, it supports the biotech industry by enabling the development of advanced biotechnologies, potentially generating substantial profits for businesses involved. In summary, PentaBind's project, with its focus on developing a prototyped and real-world validated platform, is a testament to the power of integrating AI with traditional biotechnological approaches. It stands as a beacon of innovation in the Engineering Biology field, poised to bring about a paradigm shift in aptamer design and application, benefiting academia, industry, and healthcare sectors alike.