San Francisco, CA, June 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Range Biotechnologies (“Range Bio”), a proteomics-focused biotech company that has developed an innovative translational platform to enable better diagnostics and faster drug development, has received $5.2 million in Seed funding led by TechBio-focused ARTIS Ventures, with additional participation from Pear VC, Page One Ventures, Civilization Ventures, Pillar, Four Cities Capital, Hawktail, and others. The funding will advance the company’s work in high throughput multiplexed protein quantification to enable precision health. ARTIS Ventures Partner Ameena El-Bibany has joined the Board.
Range Bio’s technology allows for the accurate quantification of multiple proteins across many samples simultaneously, providing critical insights into the underlying mechanisms of disease and how they change over time.
“Range Biotechnologies understands that the complex interactions across proteins in the human body are key to unlocking the potential of precision medicine and that accurate and scalable quantification is necessary to achieve that vision,” said Ameena El-Bibany, partner at ARTIS Ventures. “Their approach to proteomics solves several existing bottlenecks across multiplexing, dynamic range, and throughput, all of which collectively continue to hold the entire space and the largest protein players back. Range Bio’s tech can enable new paradigms across pharmacodynamics, diagnostics, clinical trials, and health screening, marking a significant impact on healthcare by enabling a comprehensive view of an individual's health and allowing for personalized treatment options.”
Tapping the full potential of proteomics to develop new therapeutics and diagnostics for a wide range of diseases
Proteomics, the study of proteins in the body, has the potential to improve human health in several ways. For example, proteomic studies can help identify which proteins correlate with a certain disease or drug response. This knowledge can be used to develop new drugs and diagnostics for a wide range of conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, COPD, MS, and more. Protein biomarkers can be used in personalized health applications, where treatments or diagnoses are tailored to an individual's specific physiology. Overall, proteomics has the potential to greatly improve our understanding of the human body and help us develop more effective ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases.
From protein discovery to translation
The proteomics field to date has largely focused on the "discovery" of protein biomarkers. These discoveries have deepened our understanding of the human proteome, but unfortunately they haven’t significantly moved the needle on human health in practice. This is partly due to a lack of technologies dedicated to “translational proteomics,” i.e. methods to measure biomarker panels at scale in real-world applications. Many commercial applications of translational proteomics have operating requirements that are more complex than in biomarker discovery; they are often bottlenecked by limitations in throughput, multiplexing, dynamic range, cross-reactivity, etc.
“We believe that untargeted biomarker discovery must be complemented by scalable targeted quantification to result in tangible impacts on human health,” said Range Biotechnologies’ Co-founder and CTO Nicolo Maganzini. “Unlocking translational proteomics will empower researchers across pharmaceutical companies, consumer health, and clinical labs alike with uncompromising protein quantification at scale.”
Tracking longitudinal dynamics of biomolecules in the body to reach the next stage of human health
“Existing analytical tools treat molecular measurements like they are static and binary, that at any given time you are either sick or you are not. But molecules in the body are highly dynamic and change in response to our environment, our health, pharmaceuticals, and other factors,” said Range Biotechnologies’ Co-founder and CEO Brandon Wilson. “At Range Bio, we’re building the molecular infrastructure to elucidate the longitudinal dynamics of human health, enabling a world where healthcare can be personalized, and ultimately switching the paradigm of medicine from being reactive to proactive. With this funding, we will push the boundaries of what is possible in personalized health.”
About Range Biotechnologies
Range Biotechnologies (“Range Bio”) is developing tools to unlock translational proteomics and enable personalized health. Founded by former labmates Dr. Brandon Wilson and Dr. Nicolo Maganzini, and Professor Tom Soh from Stanford University, the Range Bio team is building a best-in-class technology platform that will enable new modalities across multiple markets, including pharmacodynamics, diagnostic medicine, drug discovery, food safety, liquid biopsy, and more. Follow along at https://www.range.bio.
About ARTIS Ventures
ARTIS Ventures (AV) partners with entrepreneurs who are driven to impact the world by reshaping and reinventing industries. The team supports its portfolio companies through their entire life cycle, from initial venture investment to public offering and beyond. As an early leader in the emerging TechBio sector, ARTIS Ventures funds companies at the intersection of computer science and life science, applying engineering principles and data-enabled discovery to healthcare. Notable companies the firm has backed include Stemcentrx (acquired by Abbvie), Outpace Bio, Tessera Therapeutics, Freenome, Eko, Delix Therapeutics, Modern Meadow, Excision BioTherapeutics, Lemonaid Health (acquired by 23andMe), and more. For more information, visit www.av.co or email contact@av.co.
