Miniature brains, robotic automation and data science may be the trifecta of tools that reveal new ways to treat neurological disorders. At least, that’s the working hypothesis of System1 Biosciences Inc., which has built a business working with what the startup calls brain organoids: tiny, three-dimensional structures grown from stem cells to function as a simplified version of the brain’s cortex region. With...
San Francisco start-up System1 Bioscience has raised $25m in series A funding led by CRV and Pfizer Ventures. The company is looking to discover new drugs to treat for neurological diseases like autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia, using structures grown from stem cells to function as a simple version of the brain's cortex, dubbed brain organoids. The start-up will use chemical compound analysis equipment and genetics in combination with computer vision and machine learning to discover disease biomarkers. The system will allow researchers to monitor changes in the organoid when new compounds are tested.