Sema4 and BioSymetrics Partner on Data-Driven Drug Discovery to Advance Precision Medicine

Innovators in the application of multi-omics to drug discovery – including phenomics and genomics – to initiate up to 10 therapeutic programs


STAMFORD, Conn. and BOSTON and TORONTO, Feb. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sema4 (Nasdaq: SMFR), an AI-driven genomic and clinical data intelligence platform company, and BioSymetrics, a phenomics-driven drug discovery company, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the advancement of new medicines for patients and pharmaceutical companies. The partnership will leverage Centrellis®, Sema4’s proprietary health intelligence platform, and Elion, BioSymetrics’ phenotypic drug discovery platform, to discover new treatments initially in cardiovascular, rare and neurological diseases. Together, the companies will launch up to 10 new therapeutic programs in areas of high unmet need where multi-omics offers a differentiated approach to discovering drugs.

“We’re excited to work closely with BioSymetrics to discover higher value, de-risked drug candidates for patients,” said Eric Schadt, PhD, Founder and CEO, Sema4. “The power of applying our predictive network modeling to drug discovery will result in greater success, lower attrition, and a deeper understanding of the patient journey as it relates to identifying more personalized treatments. Our partnership with BioSymetrics also aligns with our focus on collaborating with Biopharma companies to drive innovation across the entire drug lifecycle, enabling the development of next generation precision medicine therapeutics.”

Together, Sema4 and BioSymetrics will provide a novel and differentiated approach to drug discovery to yield more effective drug candidates. The two companies expect to improve the translational success of new medicines by combining the power of Centrellis, one of the largest and fastest growing integrated health information platforms that includes approximately 12 million de-identified clinical records, with BioSymetrics’ AI-driven approach to leveraging clinical data for use across a phenotype-driven, therapeutic discovery process. Co-founded by Anthony Iacovone, a serial entrepreneur with a track record of leading AI and machine learning companies, and Gabriel Musso, PhD, a science leader in the application of AI to biomedicine, BioSymetrics has established itself in the life sciences sector under the leadership of a team of experienced biopharma and technology executives, and through its partnerships with top health systems and pharmaceutical companies.

Sema4 and BioSymetrics will combine patient genomics data, innovative AI solutions, and phenomics to better translate data into discoveries. They will begin their partnership by exploring the discovery of a potential therapeutic for atherosclerosis, a slow, progressive disease marked by a hardening or narrowing of the arteries that can lead to heart attack or stroke. Following that, they will initiate another three therapeutic programs focused on rare diseases before finalizing the remaining programs.

“Connecting the dots between human clinical and genomic data, and experimental model systems, using advanced machine learning, increases the probability of successfully advancing new drugs that work well for more patients,” said Anthony Iacovone, Co-founder and CEO, BioSymetrics. “Sema4 has unique multi-omic data access and insights that will, together, improve our ability to find a treatment for different groups of people living with diseases where there is currently no treatment or the standard of care is low.”

About Sema4

Sema4 is a patient-centered health intelligence company dedicated to advancing healthcare through data-driven insights. Sema4 is transforming healthcare by applying AI and machine learning to multidimensional, longitudinal clinical and genomic data to build dynamic models of human health and defining optimal, individualized health trajectories. Centrellis®, our innovative health intelligence platform, is enabling us to generate a more complete understanding of disease and wellness and to provide science-driven solutions to the most pressing medical needs. Sema4 believes that patients should be treated as partners, and that data should be shared for the benefit of all.

For more information, please visit sema4.com and connect with Sema4 on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About BioSymetrics

BioSymetrics is a phenomics-driven drug discovery company with a vision to translate data into discoveries. BioSymetrics integrates clinical and experimental data, using machine learning, to translate human disease biology and advance precision medicines. The company partners with a diverse network of life science and health system partners, including Janssen, Northwell Health and Sema4, on end-to-end drug discovery, from clinical strategy to gene disease prioritization to small molecule screening and mechanism of action. BioSymetrics is a remote-first company with people clusters in Boston, Toronto and California, and we are hiring. For more information, please visit www.biosymetrics.com.

Media Contacts:

Radley Moss, Senior Director of Communications, Sema4, Radley.Moss@Sema4.com

Amanda Guisbond, VP of Marketing and Experience, BioSymetrics, Amanda@BioSymetrics.com 

A video accompanying this release is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e3094e9-d709-4fa2-b9b0-b37a61423327