AI-driven Congruence Therapeutics gets $50M to stabilize misfolded proteins – MedCity News

For proteins to function properly, they must take on the right shape. Misfolded proteins are the root of many diseases. Congruence Therapeutics is using computational tools to discover and develop drugs that stabilize problem proteins and its now out of stealth with $50 million in funding.

The Series A round of funding announced Tuesday was led by Amplitude Ventures and Fonds de solidarit FTQ.

Montreal-based Congruence uses mathematical modeling, physics, and machine learning to characterize the defects of misfolded proteins. The companys platform technology, called Revenir, designs small molecules that can rescue these mutated proteinsresearch that is all done on computers. The biotech contends its approach can discover and design novel small molecule stabilizers faster and at scale compared to traditional drug discovery methods.

Congruence was founded last year by CEO Clarissa Desjardins, who was the founder and former chief executive of Montreal-based Clementia Pharmaceuticals. In 2019, Ipsen acquired Clementia and its lead program, a drug for a rare bone disease. Congruence has not disclosed the therapeutic areas it aims to address, other than to say it is pursuing indications with high unmet medical need. Concurrent with that research, Congruence said it is also building a database housing the biophysical properties of mutated proteins, which can be used to develop stabilizes for diseases caused by proteins that are outside of the companys focus.

Our industry faces a watershed moment where the application of novel computational tools, including machine learning, is poised to disrupt traditional drug discovery, Desjardins said in a prepared statement.

Congruence said it will use the new funding to build up its drug hunting team. In addition to the financing, Congruent announced that Kenneth Valenzano has been appointed chief scientific officer. Valenzano was most recently senior vice president of drug discovery at Amicus Therapeutics, a rare disease drug developer whose first commercialized product, Galafold, is a small molecule designed to stabilize a key enzyme as a way of treating Fabry disease, an inherited metabolic disorder. At Amicus, Valenzano was involved in the discovery and development of Galafold and other small molecules.

Other disclosed investors participating in the funding round include Lumira Ventures, Investissement Quebec, OrbiMed Advisors, Driehaus Capital Management.

Photo: Andrzej Wojcicki, Getty Images

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AI-driven Congruence Therapeutics gets $50M to stabilize misfolded proteins - MedCity News