Budapest’s Turbine raises €5.5 million to uncover novel cancer therapies with cell simulation and machine learning

Budapest-based biopharma R&D company, Turbine, has received €5.5 million ($6.7 million) in investment from MassMutual Ventures (MMV) to further develop its machine learning and cell simulation platform for identifying new cancer therapies. The funding comes shortly after previous €20 million funding raised earlier this year. Turbine has also announced the appointment of four independent directors to its board.
Founded in 2015, Turbine’s simulation system can create representations of patient populations that existing biological models cannot, as well as perform assays that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. The company’s closed-loop machine learning process identifies potential treatment targets and validates its simulations in vitro and in vivo assays. The resulting therapy assets have multiple in vivo validations and are often associated with patients with a high unmet need. Supported by drug companies including Bayer and MSD, Turbine now plans to scale up its biology simulation platform to assist with additional partnerships and advance its internal pipeline of simulation-guided programs.