Somite CEO Micha Breakstone (Twitter)
Somite is an Israeli startup that hopes to become the OpenAI of stem cell biology. The firm raised $10 million in a pre-seed funding round led after adding $4.8 million to an initial raise conducted in April. Somite will use the funds to further develop its AlphaStem AI platform, build research labs, and advance its first therapeutic asset to clinical trials.
Founded in October 2023, Somite is building AI foundation models to produce human tissue at scale for cell therapies. These therapies have the potential to cure a wide range of diseases that involve the loss or deficiency of cell populations, such as Diabetes, Obesity, and Muscular Dystrophies.
Cell therapy, a revolutionary approach to treating medical conditions, involves replacing missing, damaged, or diseased cells. While recent strides in stem cell research have opened new avenues for producing various human cell types, challenges persist in terms of efficiency, scalability, and robustness across existing protocols. Somite.ai stands out as the premier company excelling in the efficient production of cells derived from somites, crucial embryonic structures giving rise to musculoskeletal cells. These include muscle, brown adipose, cartilage, bone, tendon, and dermis. Leveraging its expertise, Somite is pioneering the development of a digital twin of the embryo—a computational model mirroring real embryo development and behavior.
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Drawing from data-rich sources such as scRNA-Seq, scATAC-seq, and gene expression databases, the digital twin empowers Artificial Intelligence to swiftly uncover innovative protocols, identify regulators of cell differentiation, and conduct rapid optimization cycles.
Somite’s proprietary digital twin accelerates the development of new protocols by providing actionable insights. Building on work from the Pourquie laboratory, Somite has optimized the production of somite-derived lineages, like human satellite and brown adipose cells, in vitro. Using AI-driven computational analysis, Somite significantly increased the purity of these cells without relying on traditional sorting methods. Since its founding, Somite has made rapid progress, gaining acceptance into Blavatnik Harvard Life Labs and securing key patents for its innovative technology.
“With most of the funds still in the bank, we were not planning to fundraise until 2025,” said Dr. Micha Breakstone, Co-founder and CEO of Somite.ai. “However, when Astellas Venture Management and Montage Ventures approached us, it was clear that they could add significant strategic value. Astellas Pharma and Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine focus on regenerative medicine and cell therapy research in ophthalmology and other therapeutic areas that have few or no available treatment options, while Montage Ventures has built a robust thesis and has deep insights into this space, so we decided to extend the round.”
