OutSee raises £1.8m seed cash for predictive genomics push
The young company is pioneering a unique AI-based predictive genomics approach to target discovery. The funds will support OutSee through the next phase of its growth strategy, with a focus on expanding the company’s in-house target discovery programme and establishing new strategic partnerships with leading pharma and biotech companies.
Invented by Dr Julian Gough, CEO and Founder, OutSee’s proprietary Nomaly technology predicts disease and phenotype ab initio directly from a single genome. Unlike other methods commonly used for target discovery, the AI-powered engine uses hypothesis-free, predictive modelling to draw conclusions from the fundamental molecular and cellular biology of the genome, rather than by pattern-matching known genetic associations.
This unique ‘genomics first’ approach enables Nomaly to complement existing target discovery pipelines, uncovering underlying biological mechanisms that drive and modulate disease. Nomaly can be applied to small datasets, or to unlock new, actionable insights from data that has already been analysed, helping to advance therapeutic discovery and development. The technology has been developed for use across a broad range of application areas, with OutSee’s in-house program initially focussed on CNS, rare and metabolic disease.
OutSee has previously received over £500k in precision medicine grants from Innovate UK to support technology extensions and to test their application on dementia case studies.
Dr Gough said: “OutSee’s Nomaly technology is a truly next-generation genomic analysis tool with potential to transform drug discovery using powerful data-driven insights. It allows us to interrogate smaller datasets, and even data that has already been analysed, to uncover unique target insights that until now would have remained undetected.”
Dr Paul Wallace, Chair, OutSee, added: “I would like to thank our investors and partners for their support, and for their confidence in our mission to drive therapeutic discovery through our pioneering, genetics first predictive genomics approach.
“This funding will enable us to leverage the full potential of Nomaly to uncover new therapeutic targets and bolster our in-house pipeline. We remain open to additional investment opportunities, and welcome enquiries from interested pharma and biotech industry partners.”
Dr Joanna Green, Principal Partner, Ahren Innovation Capital, remarked: “Outsee’s genomics first approach goes far beyond existing technologies, enabling therapeutic developers to precisely comb their data in a way that has never before been possible.
“Nomaly has great potential to unlock a deeper understanding of genomic data, discover new therapeutic targets and drive the development of next-generation treatments for the entire spectrum of human disease. I look forward to seeing OutSee’s continued growth and success, and to working closely with Julian and the team to support them through this journey.”
Outsee is currently applying Nomaly to therapeutic target discovery, as well as patient stratification for precision medicine, and has partnered with leading organisations including Genomics England and FinnGen.
