Meta-Flux, a Dublin-based biotech startup, has raised €1.8M in Seed funding to expand its decision-support platform for preclinical drug development, bridging the gap between preclinical research and clinical application.
Acting as an “AI biologist,” the platform analyses complex biological, clinical, and experimental datasets to help scientists test hypotheses, identify promising therapeutic pathways, and make faster go/no-go decisions.
Specifically, Meta-Flux combines data from genes, proteins, and metabolic pathways, applying biological reasoning with AI to reveal how biological systems function as a whole.
By turning vast amounts of data into clear, actionable insights, Meta-Flux helps researchers reduce wasted effort, lower costs, and accelerate the development of new treatments. This systems-level view helps drug developers discover better treatments faster, avoid costly dead ends, and bring medicines to patients sooner.
“Bringing a new drug to market is slow, expensive, and uncertain. Too often, promising drugs fail because researchers can’t clearly predict how they’ll behave,” said founder Lee Sherlock.
“A lot of drugs end up failing because they have the wrong application. Our goal isn’t just to get more drugs to market, but to make sure the ones that do actually help the right people.
Once you have that drug and once you have the target, we help you figure out what application you should go after, what particular type of disease, what subtype of that disease, and what patients you’re going to be treating.”
The round includes backing from senior executives at Pfizer, Merck, and Gilead Sciences, along with technology leaders from Google, Amazon, and Indeed.
“In a market saturated with AI claims, Meta‑Flux stands out because it delivers actionable answers,” said Fernando Ferrer, a data engineering leader and investor in Meta-Flux.
“Their platform gives scientists a way to cut through the noise and accelerate the path from development to decision.”
A senior director in R&D at Gilead Sciences, also an investor in Meta-Flux, added:
“Over the next 12 to 18 months, I expect AI to transform preclinical research, accelerate discovery, improve prediction accuracy, and reduce costs.
The key for big pharma is identifying valuable AI partners in an increasingly crowded space, those who marry deep biological insight with advanced modelling to address focused, high-impact questions.
Meta-Flux exemplifies this biology-first approach, zeroing in on niche scientific challenges that unlock outsized commercial value and turning AI’s promise into tangible breakthroughs.”
Meta-Flux recently completed Techstars Chicago (powered by J.P. Morgan), MassBio DRIVE in Boston, and the NDRC Accelerator at Dogpatch Labs in Dublin, programs that connect emerging techbio companies with pharma mentors and investors. The company is now building out its team to support pharmaceutical collaborations across the EU and the United States.
Lead image: Meta-Flux. Photo: uncredited.
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