U of T's Deep Genomics applies AI to accelerate drug development for genetic conditions

Genetic mutations are the cause of countless diseases and disorders, from cancer to autism to cystic fibrosis. Now, startup company Deep Genomics is applying decades of research into machine learning and genomic science to develop genetic medicines – accelerating treatments that address the root causes of these conditions. "If you have smoke billowing out of the tailpipe of your car, you don't just put a filter on the tailpipe – you have to look under the hood and address the original problem," says Brendan Frey, the co-founder and CEO of Deep Genomics, and a U of T engineering professor with cross-appointments in the department of computer science and the Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. "That's what we're doing: applying our platform for the discovery-phase development of medicines that address genetic problems." Developing new drugs is expensive, slow and inefficient – when researchers identify a protein involved in a disease, pharmaceutical companies often use a'guess-and-test' approach to see whether any of the known drug molecules in their arsenal is a match to the protein's unique shape.