A biotechnology company founded by Dr. Rob Bradley and Dr. Jeff Leek, Synthesize Bio, has secured $10 million in a seed funding round. The funding was led by Madrona, with additional contributions from AI2 Incubator, Sahsen Ventures, Inner Loop Capital, and Point Field Partners.

This funding will be used to accelerate the development and expand access to their generative genomics models. The company's pioneering technology utilizes biological foundation models to accurately predict the outcomes of gene expression experiments.

Their first foundation model, called Generate Expression Model-1 (GEM-1), was trained on a highly curated RNA-seq dataset and has demonstrated the ability to generate in silico data that mirrors the results of wet lab experiments. This achievement introduces a new paradigm of "generative genomics," where high-fidelity models can augment lab results, predict future experiments, and accelerate innovation in drug discovery. Synthesize Bio is currently partnering with biopharma companies to leverage their models for more confident drug development decisions, from identifying new targets to optimizing clinical trial design. Access to the GEM-1 foundation model is now available through the company's website and via R and Python API clients.