Vilya

Exciting news from Vilya! We’re thrilled to announce an exclusive license agreement with the University of Washington for RFpeptides, a groundbreaking RFdiffusion-based generative model for macrocyclic peptide design. Developed at Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington for Protein Design and UW School of Pharmacy, RFpeptides enables de novo design of potent and selective macrocycles, unlocking new possibilities to target previously undruggable proteins. This cutting-edge technology, built on RoseTTAFold2 and RFdiffusion, strengthens Vilya’s platform for designing potent therapeutics. A new preprint co-authored by our co-founders Dr. Gaurav Bhardwaj and Dr. David Baker demonstrates the power of RFpeptides in creating high-affinity macrocycles.   Learn more from Vilya's Co-Founder and CTO, Patrick Salveson, Ph.D. in the press release https://lnkd.in/gWWMVvrB   #DrugDiscovery #Biotechnology #GenerativeAI #MacrocyclicPeptides #Vilya

We’re excited to share that C&EN has listed Vilya as a Top 10 startup to watch! Sarah Braner highlights our work using modern structure prediction with high-throughput macrocycle synthesis to design de novo macrocyclic peptides. Our platform allows for the creation of diverse macrocycles, including those with noncanonical amino acids, offering a novel approach to drug discovery. Thank you to C&EN for featuring our efforts as we continue to explore new ways to tackle complex scientific problems and drive meaningful solutions for patients.   Read more below ⬇️ to hear Cyrus Harmon and Inca Coman's perspectives on the success of Vilya and to learn why ARCH Venture Partners' Robert Nelsen decided to invest after just 5 minutes: https://lnkd.in/gtZcDz_7

Thanks to John Maraganore for giving Vilya a special shout out on the latest episode of STAT's Readout Loud podcast 🎙️. We value your continued support and insight as an Advisor to Vilya. For those who want to catch John’s thoughts on David Baker’s Nobel and hear his thoughts on the advances of AI in macrocycle design, here’s the link to the episode: https://lnkd.in/gQt4ij9W Thank you again, John, for your contribution to Vilya's mission: to revolutionize drug discovery through computational design and transform patients' lives.

Don’t miss the chance to meet and connect with our CEO Cyrus Harmon, Ph.D. at the EORTC-NCI-AACR 36th Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain!

We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievement of our scientific founder, Dr. David Baker, who has been awarded the 2024 #NobelPrize in #Chemistry for his pioneering work in computational protein design! 🏆🔬 Dr. Baker's groundbreaking research laid the foundation for a revolution in protein design, starting with the creation of a novel protein in 2003. His visionary work and ongoing achievements at the Baker Lab in the Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington has empowered a global community of researchers to push the boundaries of science, leading to the development of innovative proteins with applications in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and beyond. At Vilya, we are proud to build upon this legacy by using advanced computational approaches to design novel, chemically diverse macrocycles to target disease biology with unprecedented precision. Vilya leaders Patrick Salveson, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Adam Moyer, Ph.D., Director of Molecular Design and Nao Hiranuma, Ph.D., Director of Machine Learning Research were instrumental members of the Baker Lab and now scientific founders and leaders at Vilya. Our foundational work on macrocycle design, recently published in Science, expands on Dr. Baker’s discovery and exemplifies the innovative spirit that he instilled in all of us. As Adam shares, "David always finds a way to blend pragmatic development and visionary solutions in brilliant ways. And, more importantly, he relentlessly applies his effort to the grandest challenges he can identify. I am personally most grateful for the incredible lab environment that he fosters. He recognizes that the truly hard problems are best solved with deep collaboration between scientists that love their work." Join us in celebrating this monumental achievement and the bright future of medicine!✨ #NobelPrize2024 #ComputationalBiotechnology #ProteinDesign #InnovationInMedicine #Macrocycles

Don’t miss the chance to meet and connect with our CEO at ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2024!

We are excited to welcome Anastasia Velentza, Ph.D., as the VP and Head of Biology at Vilya. Before joining Vilya, Anastasia led Discovery Technology at Plexium, a company focused on Targeted Protein Degradation. With over 20 years of experience in Drug Discovery, her expertise spans Discovery Biology and Molecular Pharmacology across various therapeutic areas. She has also held key positions at Novartis, Dart Neuroscience, and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Anastasia is also the Founder of AVeNew Insights, a consulting business specializing in drug discovery. She earned her Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Patras, Greece. Her research has been recognized with numerous awards and is documented in over 25 publications, patents, and abstracts. Welcome to Vilya, Anastasia! #Leadership #Biotechnology #DrugDiscovery #Innovation

Earlier this summer, we had our second quarterly company-wide gathering that brought our Seattle and South SF teams together. We brainstormed a range of exciting new ideas to propel Vilya forward, leveraging the diverse expertise and perspectives within our teams. It's always inspiring to witness the dedication and creativity that each team member brings to the table. But we don't only talk science! We also enjoy good food, amazing colleagues, and even baseball games. Go, team Vilya! Here’s to continued collaboration, innovation, and the power of coming together as one team! #TeamVilya #Innovation #Collaboration

Don’t miss the plenary session by Dr. Katerina Leftheris, Ph.D., CSO at Vilya, on "Rediscovering Macrocycles as a Modality in Drug Discovery." This talk will highlight recent advances and emerging opportunities in macrocycle drug discovery. More details here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gYXThuWv #MedicinalChemistry #DrugDiscovery #ACSSymposium #Innovation #Pharmaceuticals #ACS

It's official! We're excited to announce the expansion of our Series A financing to $71 million from lead investor ARCH Venture Partners with participation from NVIDIA’s NVentures, Menlo Ventures, Madrona, Lifeforce Capital, and Altitude Life Science Ventures. This milestone will accelerate the advancement of our proprietary computational drug design and development platform, and further our mission to create a new class of medicines that precisely target disease biology. We are also welcoming Greg Yap Partner at Menlo Ventures, to our board. Greg's insights and experience will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and grow. A big thank you to our incredible team and all our partners for making this possible. We are grateful for their support and confidence in our vision. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gEuYP8rW #Vilya #BioTech #DrugDiscovery #Innovation