Develops the FLECS platform, which maps genomics and pharmacology to mechanical cell function, creating the most comprehensive dataset in mechanobiology. This approach identifies disruptions in cellular and tissue-level mechanical systems that contribute to diseases, enabling the discovery of more effective therapies. By prioritizing functional biology, Forcyte Biotechnologies accelerates drug development and improves therapeutic translation.
Funding
$540K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Drug discovery often overlooks the critical role of mechanical forces in cellular function, leading to ineffective therapies for diseases where disrupted cell mechanics are a key factor. Current methods lack the ability to efficiently screen and identify compounds that modulate cellular mechanical forces at a high-throughput scale.
Solution
Forcyte Biotechnologies offers the FLECS platform, a high-throughput screening system that maps genomics and pharmacology to mechanical cell function, creating a comprehensive dataset in mechanobiology. FLECS enables the discovery of small molecule drugs that control mechanical force generation in individual human cells or cellular ensembles. The platform visualizes and quantifies mechanical forces generated by millions of primary human cells simultaneously, using proprietary technologies in material science, microtechnology, image analysis, and cellular biology. By focusing on cell function, Forcyte accelerates drug development and improves therapeutic translation for mechanodiseases.
Target Audience
The primary audience includes pharmaceutical companies and translational researchers focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs for diseases related to mechanical cell function, also known as mechanodiseases.
Features
- High-throughput screening of contractile cellular force as an assay endpoint
- Visualization and quantification of mechanical forces generated by millions of primary human cells simultaneously
- Fully automated system integrating material science, microtechnology, image analysis, and cellular biology
- Identification of small molecules that modulate cellular mechanical output based on shape changes of adhesive/fluorescent micropatterns
- Standardized and automation-ready disease model of mechanical cell force generation
- Assay well-plate products available for purchase