Atinary Technologies Gets Funding to Accelerate Antibiotics Discovery with AI
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Atinary Technologies, a pioneering Swiss deeptech startup, has announced its participation in a groundbreaking project funded by AIchemy, a UK-based initiative supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. In partnership with the Frei Lab at the University of York, Atinary is set to transform antibiotic discovery by focusing on a promising yet underexplored class of compounds: metalloantibiotics.
This collaboration brings together Atinary’s no-code AI platform, SDLabs, and the Frei Lab’s expertise in inorganic medicinal chemistry to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in global health—antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The goal is to rapidly identify and optimize novel metal-based antimicrobial agents with strong efficacy and low toxicity.
While metal complexes such as cisplatin are well established in oncology, their potential as antibiotics remains largely untapped. Metalloantibiotics offer unique advantages, including complex structures and multi-modal mechanisms of action. However, the vastness of their chemical space has made traditional discovery methods slow and limited in scope.
By integrating automated high-throughput experimentation with Atinary’s AI optimization engine, the project aims to explore billions of molecular combinations and narrow them down to ten lead candidates with maximum antibacterial activity. This cutting-edge approach has the potential to significantly accelerate drug discovery timelines and yield safer, more effective treatments.
“Globally, 4.95 million deaths per year are associated with antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr. Angelo Frei, Lecturer and Assistant Professor at the University of York. “This strategy will allow us to explore new chemical space efficiently and identify metal complexes with strong antibacterial properties and reduced off-target effects.”
Dr. Loïc Roch, Co-Founder and CTO of Atinary Technologies, added, “We are excited to embark on this collaborative journey. It’s a testament to the power of AI in reshaping the future of metal-based drug discovery and making a tangible impact on global health.”
➡️ Source text and photo: Atinary Technologies