Philadelphia-based biotech startup uses AI to accelerate drug discovery

This is a guest post by Founding Philly host Zach Brand. A version of it originally appeared in the podcast's newsletter. It appears here as part of a media partnership between Technical.ly and Founding Philly.

Considerable capital is being invested in artificial intelligence for drug discovery, but traditional drug development is notoriously slow, inefficient and risky. This is where BioPhy comes in.

The Philadelphia-based startup was co-founded by Dave Latshaw II, a former biochemical engineer who now works as a manager at Johnson & Johnson. As CEO of BioPhy, he wants to help pharmaceutical companies bring drugs and therapies to market faster using artificial intelligence.

“The industry as a whole is not prepared for a post-artificial intelligence world in drug discovery,” Latshaw said on the latest episode of the Founding Philly podcast.

“There is no technology platform that comprehensively addresses this challenge,” he continued. “That's exactly what we're looking for – how do you create a technology-enabled development process?”

Latshaw's turn to entrepreneurship was motivated by his passion for solving complex problems in the pharmaceutical industry, he said.

BioPhy, which he founded in 2019 with two other Wharton MBA graduates after they met at a bowling night, is considered one of the leaders in the field.

Dave Latshaw II (courtesy of BioPhy)

Last year, the startup raised $4.5 million in seed funding and officially launched its AI platforms while piloting them with two of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, Latshaw told Technical.ly. This spring, it was a winner of Fast Company's 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards.

BioPhy, Latshaw said, specifically targets the post-discovery phase and uses AI to accelerate drug candidates to market through two main platforms:

BioLogicAI is an AI-powered tool that predicts clinical trial outcomes and helps companies quickly identify the most promising drug candidates. The company says its technology has accurately predicted outcomes in over 2,000 clinical trials with an 80% success rate.
BioPhyRx is an AI companion that provides real-time guidance to scientists and regulatory experts, optimizing everything from compliance testing to operational workflows.

Listen to the full podcast to learn more about Latshaw's journey from engineer to entrepreneur, the challenges and successes of integrating AI into a highly regulated industry, and his vision for the future of the pharmaceutical industry with AI.

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