BioStrand secures second VLAIO research grant
Diepenbeek, Belgium - 12 January 2022 -
Belgian end-to-end multi-omics analysis platform provider BioStrand has received a €460,000 round of grant funding from VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship), the research fund of the Flemish regional government in Belgium. Awarded in January this year, the second grant from VLAIO follows a €235,000 funding awarded in 2020.
Commenting on the latest grant, Dr Ingrid Brands, CEO and co-founder, BioStrand, said, “Thus far, our patented HYFT™-based methodology has been applied predominantly to streamline analysis at the syntactic level, which essentially means that its analytical scope is limited to sequence-based ‘syntactical’ information, such as the presence, occurrence, and distribution of HYFT™ patterns. We are now extending the methodology so that we can combine syntactical and structural information and expand our services portfolio with HYFT™-based structural and functional modelling functionalities. By linking HYFTs™ with the 3D structure (and function) of proteins and expanding platform capabilities for AI discovery, we will be able to support an even wider array of applications, including assay development, biomarker discovery, and computer-aided drug design.”
The strategic objective driving this HYFT™-based synthesis of syntactical and structural information is to extend BioStrand’s technology to encompass the structure of proteins. A key advantage of this blended approach is the detection of protein sequences with similar structures (and function) but without high sequence similarity (distant homologs). A primary application for this approach will be in protein structure prediction, with a particular first focus on antibodies as well as G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This will be extended to cover protein-protein interaction prediction (PPI) at a later stage.
In addition, BioStrand is also working on an AI Discovery platform that will leverage advanced AI techniques to facilitate integrated protein structure and function analysis. Combined with existing R&R and Variant Analyzer modules and the HYFT™-based unified syntactical + structural methodology, BioStrand’s AI Discovery platform will empower researchers to fully analyse their data and gain insights across the entire analysis pipeline, from raw sequencing data to biologically relevant aspects such as diagnostics and drug discovery.
The expansion of BioStrand’s Omics Platform with these advanced functionalities is crucial to become an ambitious market player and position BioStrand as a one-stop-shop for omics analysis,” said Dr Brands. “We believe that integrating sequence and 3D structure analysis will revolutionise protein structure and function prediction and boost developments in biotechnology and precision medicine. Providing a powerful, integrated, and user-friendly data analysis platform for life sciences researchers is our contribution to ramping up the effectiveness of R&D cycles and enabling the real-time analysis of actionable patient data that will bring precision medicine to the next level. It also takes us one step further in our mission to create a truly effective omics data analysis solution.”
About BioStrand
BioStrand offers a revolutionary methodology for identifying similarities and variations in genetic data and detecting structural anchor points that will drive innovation in precision medicine, drug development and agriculture. The BioStrand methodology enables unprecedented accuracy in detecting similarities and variations in DNA, RNA and proteins. By detecting HYFTS™, structural 3D information is automatically integrated into the analyses, revolutionising pattern and profile detection that is critical in unravelling diseases and biological processes.