Flagship Launches Etiome with $50M to Use AI for Stage-Specific Drug Target Discovery

Flagship Pioneering has launched Etiome, a biotechnology start-up focused on identifying and drugging biomarkers that correspond to specific stages of disease progression. The company begins operations with $50 million in funding and an initial focus on metabolic, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory diseases.

Etiome’s core technology is the Temporal Biodynamics platform, an AI-based system designed to model changes in disease biology over time and identify molecular features associated with specific phases of disease progression.

The platform integrates multimodal datasets (electronic health records, cellular and molecular profiles, and single-cell omics) with phenotype-aware machine learning models. These models are used to forecast how an individual’s condition may progress, identify stage-specific biomarkers (termed BioStage Markers), and support the development of therapeutic candidates designed to intervene during key phases of disease.

From left to right: Torben Straight Nissen (Board Chairman), Katharine von Herrmann (Chief Innovation Officer), Yann Echelard (Chief Operating Officer), Avak Kahvejian (Founding CEO), and Scott Lipnick (President) of Etiome. Credit: Flagship Pioneering

The company reports that its platform is structured as a three-step process: forecasting progression risk using real-world data, identifying stage-defining molecular signatures with AI, and developing assays to validate potential stage-specific interventions. Etiome refers to resulting therapies as "Biostaged Medicines".

Initial disease areas include metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disorders, and precancerous conditions. In MASH, Etiome is studying biological changes linked to progression from inflammation to fibrosis and cirrhosis. In Alzheimer’s, it is exploring tau-related pathways as an alternative to amyloid-based approaches, in line with recent FDA approvals for tau diagnostics and a tau-targeting therapeutic.

Etiome is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and operates under Flagship Pioneering’s Preemptive Health and Medicine Initiative. The leadership team includes founding CEO Avak Kahvejian and President Scott Lipnick, among others. The company plans to develop therapies internally and through partnerships.

Topics: Startups & Deals