AI Genomics Startup Nabs $25 Million to promote health equity

“Galatea Bio envisions a future where healthcare is accessible to all and tailored to each individual’s genetic makeup and predicted future disease trajectory,” Dr. Carlos D. Bustamante, CEO & Founder at Galatea Bio

Founded in 2021 by renowned population geneticist Dr. Bustamante, Galatea Bio is on a mission to tackle one of genomics’ most pressing challenges: creating comprehensive, predictive datasets that better represent historically underrepresented global populations. By advancing inclusive genomic research, the company aims to enhance our understanding of human genetics, improve healthcare outcomes, and drive personalized medicine for all.

The study of the complete set of genetic material (DNA) within the genomes of organisms, including humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms, is known as genomic research. There are key area where genomic research works includes genome Sequencing, gene mapping, genetic variation, functional and comparative genomics.

AI in Genomics

Researchers have already begun to benefit from AI and machine learning programs, even though such tools are still in their early stages of development. These programs provide specific types of assistance. For example, facial analysis AI programs can accurately identify genetic disorders by examining people’s faces, and machine learning techniques can identify the primary type of cancer from a liquid biopsy.

Galatea Bio, a biotechnology firm, uses AI-driven data analytics and genomic research to advance precision medicine. The company focuses on large-scale patient populations, particularly those with non-European ancestry. The company wants to create a global biobank that can be used to derive insight into drivers of various diseases, help biopharmas uncover new targets for medicines and find new biomarkers. It’s also running a genetic testing business to help inform people of their risk for certain diseases.

By utilizing AI and machine learning algorithms, they are able to analyze massive quantities of genetic data to identify patterns, predict disease risks, and expedite drug discovery. This makes High Resolution Ancestry Deconvolution easier now, which infers global and local ancestry, delivering improved accuracy over ADMIXTURE and RFmix.

AI enhances ancestry inference to develop proprietary, best-in-class polygenic risk scores. By improving disease modeling for drug target discovery, the company addresses cardiometabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, immune diseases, cancer, and other complex diseases.

A New Way to Predict Health

StrataRisk, a new Polygenic Risk Score API launched by the company, uses a model designed to deliver more precise genetic risk predictions for individuals with non-European ancestry. It utilizes a new, AI-powered algorithm (patent pending) to dynamically choose and combine polygenic risk score (PRS) models from genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Unlike traditional single-gene or multi-gene panel testing, which primarily detect rare, high-penetrance mutations that explain only a fraction of hereditary diseases and cancer risks, AI-powered models offer a more comprehensive approach to genetic testing. Traditional methods focus on known mutations with a strong, direct association to diseases but often miss individuals with more subtle, multi-gene interactions contributing to genetic risks.

Global Genetic Insights

By integrating artificial intelligence, laboratories can now perform more holistic genetic analyses, identifying not only rare mutations but also genetic variants that, while lower in penetrance, contribute to disease susceptibility when combined with other genetic or environmental factors and that is exactly what Galatea Bio has been pursuing over the years.

This unique, Miami-based AI-driven biotechnology startup has secured $25 million in funding to drive discoveries in next-generation genetic analysis, biomarker discovery, and multi-omics disease modeling. The funding was backed by F-Prime, Helios Digital Ventures, Digitalis Ventures, AME Cloud, CEI Ventures, Alexandria, Founders Collective, Stanford President’s Fund, and HBM Genomics. The funds will be used to expand the company’s first-in-class clinico-genomics platform by integrating multi-modal data and AI-driven applications. This will allow for refined genetic risk analysis for Mendelian and complex diseases, biomarker discovery, and clinical trial optimization. Additionally, the funding will support the expansion of high-throughput sequencing, AI-powered genomic analysis, and industry partnerships.

The company also envisions the ambitious goal of sequencing the genetic diversity of 10 million people this decade. As of now, it has completed about 10% to 15% of its 10-million target for the global biobank. As Dr. Bustamante assured, “I’d love to get there before the end of the decade. We might get there a little bit sooner than that.”

Galatea aims to expand its efforts to include more individuals from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The company is already collaborating with hospitals and medical centers in North America and Latin America, and it is expanding to Africa and other regions.