Why We Invested: CardiaTec - Pioneering AI-Driven Cardiovascular Drug Discovery
Montage Ventures
Early stage VC backing technical founders innovating across core sectors of our economy: Fintech, Commerce, & Healthcare
At Montage Ventures, we're constantly searching for startups that combine groundbreaking technology with the potential to solve critical global challenges. Our recent investment in CardiaTec exemplifies this mission. Founded in 2021, CardiaTec is leveraging artificial intelligence and multi-omics data to revolutionize drug target discovery for cardiovascular diseases. Here's an in-depth look at why we believe CardiaTec is poised to make a significant impact in the biotech and pharmaceutical landscape:
Addressing a Massive, Underserved Market
Cardiovascular disease has been the world's leading cause of death since 1990, claiming 20.5 million lives annually - that's one death every 5 seconds. Despite affecting over 65 million people globally, innovation in cardiovascular drug development has remained stagnant for years. Current treatments only benefit 5-10% of people with coronary artery disease, underscoring a critical gap in our understanding and treatment of these complex conditions.
The cardiovascular drug development market is projected to surpass $200 billion by 2032, driven by an aging population, increased disease prevalence, and a growing need for novel, personalized therapies. CardiaTec is strategically positioned to capitalize on this expanding market while addressing a crucial unmet medical need.
Unique Data Moat and Proprietary Multi-Omics Platform
At the core of CardiaTec's competitive advantage is their unparalleled access to human cardiac tissue data. Through partnerships with over 60 hospitals across the US and UK, CardiaTec is building the world's first and largest proprietary multi-omics dataset derived from human heart tissues. This includes over 3 million unbiased omics data points and counting.
What makes this data particularly valuable is the company's access to whole human hearts, along with corresponding electronic health records and blood samples. This comprehensive approach allows CardiaTec to analyze multiple cardiac tissues simultaneously, scaling their data collection across various cardiovascular disease indications.
The company has established scalable, ethical, and seamless data generation protocols, from heart tissue procurement to multi-omics sequencing. This end-to-end process creates a significant barrier to entry for potential competitors and positions CardiaTec as a leader in cardiovascular multi-omics data.
Cutting-Edge AI and Multi-Omics Analysis
CardiaTec's AI-driven multi-omics analysis platform can unravel complex relationships across multiple layers of biology, from gene variation and expression to proteomic and metabolomic functions. This allows the company to uncover novel cardiovascular disease drug targets with highly explainable biological functions and mechanisms of action.
The power of this approach is evident in their early results. CardiaTec's drug target discovery model has already predicted 141 novel drug targets for coronary artery disease with high accuracy. Impressively, the platform was able to predict 84% of known coronary artery disease drug targets, with 91% of those targets having been proven clinically successful.
Stellar Team with Deep Industry Connections
The CardiaTec founding team brings a powerful combination of scientific expertise and business acumen:
Notably, Prof. Han's position on the Milner Institute's board, which includes leaders from 14 global pharmaceutical companies, provides CardiaTec with unique access to potential partners and collaborators. This relationship has already facilitated licensing discussions with two of the top 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
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Riding the Wave of AI in Drug Discovery and Renewed Interest in Cardiovascular Disease
The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly turning to AI to revolutionize the notoriously time-consuming and expensive drug discovery process. According to Morgan Stanley, even modest improvements in early-stage drug development success rates enabled by AI could result in an additional 50 novel therapies over a 10-year period, representing a more than $50 billion opportunity.
Simultaneously, there's been a resurgence of interest in cardiovascular disease from major pharmaceutical companies. Recent acquisitions, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb's $13 billion purchase of Myokardia and Novartis's $9.7 billion acquisition of The Medicines Company, signal a renewed focus on cardiovascular therapeutics. This trend, combined with the growing adoption of AI in drug discovery, creates a favorable environment for CardiaTec's innovative approach.
Early Traction and Promising Results
Despite being at an early stage, CardiaTec has already demonstrated significant progress:
Potential for Outsized Impact and Returns
By leveraging AI and multi-omics data to uncover new disease pathways and drug targets, CardiaTec has the potential to dramatically accelerate the development of more effective cardiovascular treatments. If successful, their work could lead to therapies that significantly improve outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.
From an investment perspective, the recent surge in pharmaceutical companies' interest in cardiovascular disease presents numerous potential exit opportunities. Whether through licensing deals, acquisitions, or partnerships, CardiaTec is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend.
Conclusion
At Montage Ventures, we believe CardiaTec represents a unique opportunity to invest in a company that's applying cutting-edge technology to one of healthcare's most pressing challenges. Their combination of proprietary data, AI expertise, and focus on a high-impact area positions them well to become a leader in cardiovascular drug discovery.
By leading CardiaTec's ￡5M seed round, we're not just investing in a promising startup; we're supporting a team that has the potential to transform cardiovascular medicine and improve millions of lives. We're excited to be part of CardiaTec's journey and look forward to the breakthroughs they'll unlock in the years to come.
Head of Communications and Culture at the Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge.
5 个月Fantastic to see the Milner Therapeutics Institute Consortium recognised here. Well done, Namshik Han and the team at CardiaTec Biosciences!