Fusiomica
Fusiomica is a protein engineering company that designs ultra-stable, high-affinity mini-protein binders using generative AI, targeting sites inaccessible to conventional antibodies. Their 8-15 kDa binders withstand temperatures up to 95°C, are produced in E. coli at yields exceeding 100 mg/L, and feature engineered cysteines for site-specific conjugation of radionuclides, fluorophores, or drugs. The platform enables rapid, cost-effective development of imaging probes, therapeutics, and diagnostic reagents, with a patent-pending binder generated in weeks at 10x lower cost than antibody discovery.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Biotechnology
- Drug Discovery & Therapeutics
- Healthcare Technology
- Software Only
Funding
Founders
Product
Problem
Traditional antibodies are large (~150 kDa), expensive to produce, and often fail to bind challenging targets such as GPCRs with buried or flexible epitopes. Their size limits tissue penetration and clearance kinetics, while production costs and stability constraints hinder rapid development of imaging probes, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Solution
Fusiomica leverages state-of-the-art generative AI algorithms to design de novo mini-protein binders that are 8-15 kDa, ultra-stable, and high-affinity. These binders penetrate tissues rapidly, clear quickly, and can access epitopes inaccessible to antibodies, including flexible GPCR loops. Produced in E. coli at very high yields and remaining folded up to 95°C, the platform enables cost-effective and scalable manufacturing. A single engineered cysteine or unnatural amino acid permits site-specific conjugation of radionuclides, fluorophores, or drugs, while optional Fc fusion extends half-life when needed. The company offers a full pipeline from binder discovery through hit-to-lead optimization and functionalization, delivering ready-to-use constructs for pre-clinical imaging, therapeutic, or diagnostic applications.
Target Audience
Primary customers are biopharmaceutical companies, diagnostic developers, and research institutions seeking high-affinity binders for imaging probes, targeted therapeutics, GPCR modulation, CAR-T cell engineering, and diagnostic reagents where conventional antibodies fall short.
Features
- Generative AI-driven design of de novo mini-protein binders with sub-nanomolar affinity maturation
- Ultra-compact 8-15 kDa size enabling rapid tissue penetration and fast clearance
- Exceptional thermostability with no unfolding up to 95°C
- High-yield E. coli production exceeding 100 mg/L of pure protein
- Site-specific conjugation via engineered cysteines or unnatural amino acids for radionuclides, fluorophores, or cytotoxic payloads
- Optional Fc fusion for half-life extension in therapeutic applications
- Experimental validation including SDS-PAGE purity, analytical SEC monodispersity, and MST binding kinetics
- Demonstrated >40% hit rate from in-silico design to wet-lab confirmation