Platform simplifies protein production, outperforming traditional living cell-based methods
California-based Tierra Biosciences has unveiled an innovative platform using artificial intelligence for customized protein synthesis. This technology, which can be used in the pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural sectors, allows companies to develop new proteins in a much shorter time frame than previously.
Tierra's core idea is for customers to order proteins online and use them for a variety of purposes, including creating antibodies or growth factors for the food industry. To do this, the platform generates cell-free reagents or digital protein sequences, which are then combined with the client's protein sequences and converted into a physical product.
Tierra CEO, Michael Nemzek, emphasized that once a protein is created, the company begins to collect and analyze various data, such as stability, solubility and other parameters, to evaluate the suitability and quality of the product. This allows the company to have a complete understanding of the protein before it is sent to development, a significant advantage over traditional methods based on the use of living cells.
Nemzek pointed out that traditional methods that rely on living cells to develop new proteins are time-consuming and less efficient. Instead, Tierra uses cell-free synthesis technology that reduces development time from months to weeks. The company also provides customers with complete information about whether the protein it creates will work, which helps save time and resources during the development of new products. For example, if a customer produces an enzyme for laundry detergent, Tierra connects it to its large AI-powered language model. At the output, the model provides data on whether the sequence will work or needs to be changed. According to Nemzek, this provides a complete picture before the customer needs to iterate the full study, saving time and money in the living cell development process.
Tierra has currently produced over 5,000 different proteins. In 2018, the company raised $2.6 million in funding. Then another $7.2 million in grants from various government agencies, including the Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. After going through a number of successful development milestones, including replacing the CEO, the latter In a recent investment round, the company raised funding in the amount of $11.4 million as part of Series A. The funds received will be used to expand the circle of clients and partners, as well as to develop data generation using artificial intelligence.
Nemzek noted that the company already has established contacts with large pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural organizations. In addition, Tierra plans to expand its sales department and hire a new team to increase sales. In the near future, Tierra also plans to increase the volume of proteins produced — from milligrams for customer experiments to grams, which is well suited for pilot programs.