The startup has developed a synthetic biology platform that utilizes genomics and data science to identify small molecule inhibitors from fungal genomes. This technology enables researchers to discover new medicines encoded in the global metagenome, addressing the need for innovative therapeutic solutions.
Funding
$193.6M 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
Existing cancer treatments face challenges with drug resistance and limited efficacy across diverse patient populations. The vast potential of the global metagenome as a source of novel therapeutic compounds remains largely untapped. There is a need for innovative approaches to discover and develop new medicines that can overcome these limitations and address unmet needs in oncology.
Solution
Hexagon Bio is developing a synthetic biology platform to discover novel medicines by mining the global metagenome. The platform leverages advances in DNA sequencing, machine learning, and synthetic biology to identify and produce small molecule inhibitors from microbial genomes. These molecules, particularly those directed at cancer, are then evaluated as next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) payloads. Hexagon's approach focuses on identifying compounds with mechanisms orthogonal to existing payloads, offering the potential to improve therapeutic response and overcome resistance in solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The company is building a proprietary database of microbial genomes and metabolites, coupled with computational tools to predict drug-target interactions and automated systems for compound production.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes pharmaceutical companies and research institutions focused on developing novel cancer therapeutics, particularly antibody-drug conjugates, as well as patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancies.
Features
- Proprietary genome database containing over 80,000 sequenced genomes of microbial organisms.
- TICker algorithm for computational prediction of microbial secondary metabolites that inhibit cancer-related proteins.
- HEx platform for heterologous expression and production of novel compounds.
- Automated compound production systems for safe manufacturing of highly potent toxic natural products at production scales.
- Focus on identifying ADC payloads with mechanisms of action spanning cell cycle, transcription, translation, cytoskeleton, and other cancer-related pathways.
- Pipeline of preclinical ADC programs targeting solid tumors and hematological malignancies.