Accelerating protein technology in multiple industries

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Cradle Bio, a biotech startup using artificial intelligence (AI) for protein technology, recently raised $73 million to further its mission of transforming the biotech industry. This investment comes at a time when the role of AI in biology is becoming increasingly important, especially in accelerating the design of proteins used in medicine and industry.

The rise of AI in biotechnology

Founded in 2022, Cradle Bio entered the field at a time when AI software was starting to make waves in biotechnology. Company founder Stef van Grieken described proteins and their amino acid sequences as “an alien programming language” and emphasized the complexity of understanding how proteins function. However, AI models have proven their ability to parse these sequences, providing powerful tools to help researchers speed up protein testing.

Cradle’s AI platform is designed to recommend protein sequences that can optimize certain properties, such as heat resistance, while maintaining the overall functionality of the protein. This capability can save biotech companies significant time and money by reducing the need for extensive experimental rounds, which are both costly and time-consuming.

The impact of AI software on the biotech industry

With the $73 million funding round led by IVP, alongside Index Ventures and Kindred Capital, Cradle plans to expand its labs and hire additional talent. The company has already set up a lab in Amsterdam, where it is conducting A/B testing on various proteins and developing fundamental data sets that train AI models to learn the properties of proteins. This dual approach – the combination of software and practice-oriented laboratory research – positions Cradle as a unique player in the growing field of AI in biology.

Van Grieken notes that the key value proposition for customers is the significant cost savings and acceleration of protein development. Biotech companies, especially those in the pharmaceutical industry, often undergo numerous rounds of testing to refine protein products such as antibody therapies. Cradle’s AI software reduces the need for these costly and unpredictable experimental trials and provides a more efficient alternative.

Cradle’s vision of the future

The company’s simple Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model has also attracted interest because it removes the complexity of royalties, revenue sharing or intellectual property issues that often accompany biotech partnerships. Cradle’s vision is clear: to democratize access to AI tools for drug discovery and protein development.

“We believe that AI in drug discovery and development will ultimately become a commodity,” says van Grieken, who positions Cradle as a provider of essential software for the biotech community. With the new funding, Cradle aims to expand its reach and ultimately make its software accessible to a million scientists worldwide, pushing the boundaries of AI’s role in protein engineering and life sciences.

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