Isospec Analytics raises $1.9m as it introduces breakthrough technology to rapidly identify unknown molecules at scale

Lausanne, Switzerland – 20 April 2024: When growing new medicine, dietary merchandise, or pesticides, it’s crucial that unknown molecules are recognized appropriately. But correct identification is a prolonged course of and all too usually unsuccessful, main to failed regulatory processes, or worse, shopper well being being put at risk. Today, Isospec Analytics has raised $1.9M to commercialize new applied sciences for molecular evaluation that rapidly identify unknown molecules in minutes, serving to prescribed drugs, diet and agritech firms develop safer merchandise and enabling researchers to uncover new biomarkers.

Isospec’s $1.9M pre-seed spherical is led by Founderful (previously Wingman Ventures), with further participation from specialised buyers Tiny.vc, one other.vc and Venture Kick.

Isospec was based in 2022 by Ahmed Ben Faleh, Stephan Warnke, and Thomas Rizzo, who partnered collectively to discover how they may redefine the method of molecular evaluation to entry new organic info and allow breakthroughs in diagnostics, therapeutics, and diet. Based on over 20 years of analysis, the founders mixed applied sciences from a number of disciplines – analytical chemistry, photonics, and cryogenic supplies initially designed for area functions – to construct a instrument that may generate a brand new knowledge dimension about molecular constructions. This permits for the identification of molecules which have been, till now, unknown.

Today, figuring out an unknown molecule is based on mass evaluation, which doesn’t present ample info. Identifying a by-product or an impurity requires the mixture of excessive sensitivity to detect hint quantities in a pattern, coupled with the power to generate knowledge that may definitively identify the construction of a molecule. Existing instruments lack both one or each of those capabilities. “Unfortunately, mass alone doesn’t uniquely decide the construction of a molecule. Several completely different molecules can have precisely the identical mass, referred to as isomers, however completely completely different properties. For instance, one isomer is likely to be poisonous, whereas one other could also be a life-saving therapeutic,” stated Thomas Rizzo, Professor of Chemistry at EPFL. Definitive molecular identification at present requires the mixture of a number of strategies and a prolonged course of together with purification and a number of syntheses. Companies growing new merchandise are thus confronted with a dilemma: both spend months figuring out unknowns and delay their go-to-market, or transfer ahead primarily based on guesses and threat failing regulatory necessities and endanger shopper well being.

In comparability, Isospec’s technology generates distinctive, information-rich metrics that enable for the fast identification of unknown molecules in minutes as a substitute of months, bringing unprecedented scalability to molecular identification. “By including infrared evaluation instantly inside a mass spectrometer, now we have a helpful new dimension by which to identify molecules,” provides Professor Thomas Rizzo.

Originating from the Laboratory of Molecular Physical Chemistry (LCPM) at EPFL, Isospec’s breakthrough technology is already getting used within the evaluation of sugars and metabolites inside the meals and agritech business to perform high quality management and help product R&D. However, the group believes the true potential of their technology is within the discovery of latest biomarkers for therapeutics improvement and diagnostics.

“In a human blood pattern, there are 15,000 small organic molecules that can provide exact details about an individual’s well being at any given time. However, lower than 5% of those molecules may be recognized. The potential to rapidly identify new molecules means we will now leverage the 95% unknown molecular area to develop remedies to the deadliest ailments,” stated co-founder and CEO Dr. Ahmed Ben Faleh.

These mixed use instances have been compelling for Isospec’s buyers. “Isospec’s worth proposition, which affords early entry to its cutting-edge analysis in biomolecular evaluation as a service, satisfied us of the potential of the technology and the group,” explains Alex Stöckl, accomplice at Founderful and board member of Isospec. “Isospec is likely one of the first 8 firms wherein now we have invested with our second fund, which goals to attain $120M.”

The group is at present engaged on the scalability of their platform, introducing automation at each step and implementing machine studying instruments for knowledge evaluation and perception era. “This spherical permits us to construct a software program group composed of consultants in knowledge engineering,” stated Dr Ahmed Ben Faleh. Against the extremely aggressive backdrop of the sugar and metabolite analytical markets, Isospec is setting its sights on turning into the main supplier of molecular evaluation options and biomarker discovery technology.