For centuries, people have turned to nature to alleviate pain and treat ailments. One notable example is the use of willow tree bark, chewed by our ancestors to relieve pain long before scientists at Bayer isolated its active ingredient in the 1800s and patented its modified form as Aspirin. This historical approach highlights a significant truth: many modern pharmaceuticals have roots in natural remedies used by previous generations and thus Enveda was born.
Historical and Modern Medicine Derived from Natural Sources
| Natural Source | Traditional Use | Modern Pharmaceutical |
|---|---|---|
| Willow Tree Bark | Pain Relief | Aspirin |
| Foxglove Plant | Heart Conditions | Digoxin |
| Pacific Yew Tree | Cancer Treatment | Paclitaxel (Taxol) |
| Cinchona Bark | Malaria Treatment | Quinine |
| Opium Poppy | Pain Management | Morphine |
Despite these successes, experts estimate that only a small fraction of the natural chemical compounds have been explored for their potential medicinal properties. The challenge lies in the complexity of identifying, isolating, and testing these molecules, which is often more time-consuming and intricate than synthesizing new compounds in a laboratory.
Enter Viswa Colluru, an early employee of Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a company that went public in 2021. Colluru recognized the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced techniques to accelerate the discovery of new medicines from nature. Motivated by this vision, he founded Enveda Biosciences in 2019. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Enveda Biosciences leverages AI to delve into the chemistry of plants, aiming to discover new therapeutic agents.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Colluru explained how Enveda utilizes vast digital databases that document how various cultures have used plants to treat pain and disease. “We discovered that geographically separated cultures from across the world were much more likely to use similar plants for similar diseases and symptoms, even though they never talked to each other,” he said. This insight underscores the profound and shared human understanding of nature’s medicinal properties, built over thousands of years.
Today, Enveda’s extensive database catalogs 38,000 medicinal plants associated with approximately 12,000 diseases and symptoms. The company’s AI technology identifies plants with the highest potential for therapeutic use, after which the identified materials are tested through Enveda’s proprietary AI model. Unlike traditional methods focusing on individual molecules, Enveda’s advanced AI, described as a “transformer model,” can interpret the “chemical language” of an entire sample.
Enveda Biosciences’ Approach to Drug Discovery
- Comprehensive Database: Enveda maintains a database of 38,000 medicinal plants and 12,000 associated diseases and symptoms.
- AI-Powered Analysis: The company’s AI technology identifies and analyzes plants with high medicinal potential.
- Transformer Model: This model interprets the complex chemical compositions of plant samples.
- Clinical Trials: Enveda’s drugs for eczema and inflammatory bowel diseases are set to begin clinical trials.
- Investment and Growth: Enveda recently raised $55 million in Series B extension funding, bringing its total capital to $230 million.
Colluru elaborated on the process: “Once we know their shape, we can prioritize the right sets of molecules and say, this will one day be a medicine.” This method is proving fruitful; two of Enveda’s drugs, aimed at treating eczema and inflammatory bowel diseases, are scheduled to enter clinical trials later this year.
Enveda’s innovative approach and scientific advancements have captured the interest of investors. On Thursday, the company announced a $55 million Series B extension from new investors such as Microsoft, The Nature Conservancy, Premji Invest, and Lingotto Investment Fund. Existing backers, including Kinnevik, True Ventures, FPV, Level Ventures, and Jazz Venture Partners, also participated in the funding round. This infusion of capital increases Enveda’s total funding to $230 million.
The latest round of funding not only strengthens Enveda’s financial position but also adds long-term strategic partners to its cap table. Colluru mentioned that Enveda plans to raise a Series C round later this year, aligned with the commencement of clinical trials. As part of the deal, Microsoft will also provide cloud credits, though this is separate from its cash investment.
While the approach of sampling plants for medicinal purposes is age-old, Enveda stands out as one of the few companies leveraging AI to revolutionize this practice. Another company in this space, UK-based Pangea Bio, is focusing on plant-derived drugs for neurological conditions. However, much of the current attention in natural source-derived medicine has been drawn towards cannabis and psychedelics, known for their potential to address mental health disorders. Enveda, however, is taking a broader view.
“Everybody is focused on cannabis and psychedelics, which are just a tiny fraction of the natural world,” Colluru remarked. “The natural world is so rich in its chemical diversity and biological effects that studying just a few hundred plants is enough to give so many potential drugs that we don’t know what to do with them.”
By harnessing AI to decode nature’s chemical languages, Enveda Biosciences is poised to unlock a wealth of new medicinal compounds. This fusion of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology not only accelerates the drug discovery process but also opens up new possibilities in the realm of natural medicines.
As Enveda moves forward with its pioneering work, the future of medicine may increasingly be rooted in the vast, untapped diversity of the natural world, guided by the analytical power of AI.
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