SEATTLE & SINGAPORE, Sept 27 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Accelerator Life Science Partners (ALSP), an early-stage life science accelerator and investment firm that creates and builds next-generation biotechnology companies centered on innovative science, today announced the Series A financing of Automera, a new biotechnology company that focuses on the development of autophagy-targeting chimera small molecules (AUTACs). Augmented with quantum chemistry and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled drug discovery tools, Automera’s AUTACs have the broad potential to rapidly generate novel therapeutic leads for a range of diseases. Automera will initially focus its product development efforts to treat cancer. The company was established by co-founders Associate Professor Michael Lazarou, Loong Wang, and Taiyang Zhang at Talo Labs Pte Ltd. in collaboration with ALSP. Automera has secured $16M in Series A funding, a co-led endeavor by ALSP and ClavystBio, with participation from Singapore-based global investor EDBI, Xora Innovation, and other undisclosed investors. Joining the Board of Directors are Loong Wang, from Automera, Dr. Alice Chen and Thong Q. Le, from ALSP, and Dr. Wen Qi Ho, from ClavystBio.
“ALSP has long been interested in helping to drive biopharma innovation emerging in Singapore,” said Alice Chen, Executive Vice President at ALSP and Automera board member. “As our first investment in Singapore, Automera exemplifies the innovative scientific and translational research ongoing in the region. We plan to leverage ALSP’s unique company-building capabilities in Singapore, and we look forward to working with the broader Singapore community to enhance the platform technologies and early-stage therapeutic programs that Automera will develop. We are honored to co-lead Automera’s Series A financing with our partners at ClavystBio and are excited about expanding Automera’s operations in the months ahead.”