Unleashing the Power of Nature: Enveda’s Quest for Medicinal Discoveries
Harnessing the power of nature has been a time-honored tradition in medicine for centuries. From chewing willow tree bark to relieve pain to patenting the modified version of its active ingredient as Aspirin, natural sources have played a crucial role in the development of pharmaceutical products. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that around 40% of modern medications have roots in remedies used by our ancestors.
However, despite this impressive track record, scientists believe that we have only scratched the surface of the potential medicinal compounds that nature has to offer. Discovering and harnessing these compounds is a complex and time-consuming process, often requiring extensive efforts in identifying, isolating, and testing molecules from natural sources.
Recognizing the need for a more efficient approach, Viswa Colluru, an early employee of Recursion Pharmaceuticals, founded Enveda Biosciences. This Boulder-based biotech company utilizes AI and other advanced techniques to expedite the process of discovering new medicines from nature.
Enveda’s groundbreaking approach involves analyzing plant chemistry to unearth potential medicines. By tapping into the wealth of digital information about how different cultures across the world have used plants to cure pain and disease, Enveda has been able to identify patterns and similarities in plant usage. It discovered that geographically separated cultures were more likely to use similar plants for similar diseases and symptoms, despite never having communicated with each other. This realization led to the accumulation of a comprehensive database with 38,000 medicinal plants linked to about 12,000 diseases and symptoms.
Enveda’s AI plays a crucial role in the identification and testing process. Once the AI identifies plants with the highest likelihood of providing cures, it gathers the necessary materials and tests them using Enveda’s AI model. Unlike traditional methods that focus on individual molecules, Enveda’s transformer model can decipher the “chemical language” of the entire sample. This allows for a more holistic understanding of the potential medicinal properties of a plant, enabling Enveda to prioritize the right sets of molecules for further development.
The company’s innovative approach is already yielding promising results. Two of Enveda’s drugs, aimed at treating eczema and inflammatory bowel diseases, are set to begin clinical trials later this year. The scientific progress and potential of Enveda have attracted significant investment, with the company recently raising a $55 million Series B extension. The funding round included notable new investors such as Microsoft, The Nature Conservancy, Premji Invest, and Lingotto Investment Fund, as well as existing backers.
Enveda’s success has positioned it as a pioneer in the field, as one of the few companies using AI to study plants for medicinal discoveries. While other companies focus on well-known natural sources like cannabis and psychedelics, Enveda recognizes the untapped potential of the broader natural world. Colluru emphasizes that the natural world is incredibly diverse, offering countless chemical compounds with biological effects that are yet to be explored fully.
As Enveda continues its quest for medicinal breakthroughs, the company plans to add long-term strategic partners through its latest funding round. With Microsoft’s involvement, Enveda gains not only capital but also cloud credits to support its operations. Furthermore, Enveda intends to raise a Series C funding round later this year, following the commencement of clinical trials.
Enveda’s innovative use of AI and its commitment to exploring the vast potential of nature’s pharmacy position it at the forefront of medicinal discoveries. By combining modern technology with ancient wisdom, Enveda is unlocking nature’s secrets and paving the way for a future where powerful medicines derived from natural sources become more readily available.
