Jeff Leek

Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Jeff Leek is Co-founder and Chief Data Officer at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he continues to serve.

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Book Recommendations for Founders Guest

The Future of Biology Is Generative: Inside Synthesize Bio's RNA AI Model

In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Investor Joe Horsman sits down with Jeff Leek and Rob Bradley, co-founders of Synthesize Bio, a foundation model company for biology that's unlocking experiments researchers could never run in the lab. Jeff, chief data officer at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and Rob, the McIlwain Family endowed chair in data science, share: •Why a startup the right fit for generative genomics •How generative genomics could reshape research, drug trials, and more •Why RNA is the right starting point for a generative AI model in biology •What this breakthrough means for the future…

32 min
Lisa Stiffler / GeekWire

Fred Hutch-Led Synthesize Bio Raises $10M to Accelerate Drug Discovery Using AI Gene Expression Model

Seattle-based Synthesize Bio, led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center researchers, raised $10 million from Madrona to accelerate drug discovery using their AI model GEM-1, which predicts gene expression outcomes with lab-level accuracy. The startup aims to reduce drug development time and costs by simulating hypothetical lab experiments with generative genomics.

Matt McIlwain / linkedin.com

Leading $10M Seed Funding Supports Synthesize Bio's AI-Powered GEM-1 Model Transforming Generative Genomics

The future of biotech is being shaped by AI-powered reasoning machines, exemplified by Synthesize Bio's $10M Seed funding led to develop GEM-1, a generative genomics model simulating gene expression as accurately as lab experiments. This technology enables researchers to conduct more innovative and cost-effective life science R&D, moving from bottlenecks to breakthroughs.

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