Montai Health Files for IPO to Advance Chronic Disease Therapies Derived from Dietary Natural Molecules

Flagship PioneeringAs a unique entity in the U.S. investment community, it has, since 2000, leveraged its distinctive “Hypothesis-Driven Innovation“Founded and incubated over 100 disruptive science-based companies, with a total valuation exceeding $100 billion.”

On December 13, 2022, incubated by Flagship Pioneering,Biotechnology Company Montai Health(hereinafter referred to as: Montai), has also secured funding from Flagship Pioneering$50 Million Series A Financing。

Montai proposes “Anthromolecule^TMBioactivity Atlas(the concept of “Anthro-molecular Bioactivity Profiling for Humans”), where “Anthromolecule” is translated as “molecules for human use,” referring to natural molecules derived from food sources that can be utilized in human metabolism. Montai proposed this concept,Aiming to develop novel drugs for the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases by leveraging natural molecules already identified in human food, traditional Chinese medicine, and dietary supplements.。

However, VCBeat found no scientific achievements or research reports on “Anthromolecule” in knowledge bases such as Nature, Science, NIH, and Google Research. Meanwhile, search results for “Anthromolecule” in web browsers all point to Montai.

Biotechnology without theoretical support? Is this another “out-of-the-box” investment by Flagship Pioneering? Or is it Montai’s disruptive new approach to drug development?

Actually, neither is correct.

According to Montai, humans have acquired and consumed over 100,000 molecules through food, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. TheseMore than 40 known molecules have already been approved by the FDA as drugs., for the safe, long-term treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's disease, asthma, and heart disease.

However,This diverse and rich chemical space has never been systematically explored in a targeted manner.Based on this, Montai Health proposes that the development potential of “deeply cultivating” small molecules, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other compound molecules involved in human metabolism may be entirely beyond imagination.

Most current new drug development efforts focus on the exploration of novel compounds, a process that demands substantial human, material, and time resources for target selection, structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies, active compound screening, and toxicological assessment. These rigorous steps are essential to ensure that selected candidate compounds can exert their therapeutic effects in disease treatment with efficacy, stability, and safety.

Addressing this existing bottleneck in drug development,Montai Health believes that by “unlocking” safe, human-use molecules from foods, dietary supplements, and herbs commonly consumed in daily life, it is possible to ensure both stable metabolic activity of these molecules in the human body and the absence of adverse side effects.。

Compared with synthetic non-natural compound drugs, human moleculesStable metabolic activity is associated with a lower likelihood of drug resistance, andHuman-use molecules are food-derived molecules absorbable by the human body; their low toxicity ensures that long-term intake does not compromise safety.。

Leveraging its focus on human-derived molecules, Montai has set its sights on chronic diseases.

Globally, there are over 2 billion patients with chronic diseases, and trillions of dollars in medical costs have imposed a severe economic burden on both patients and healthcare payers. Regarding the treatment of chronic diseases itself, most patients require long-term medication to control or delay symptoms.Therefore, efficacy, drug resistance, and safety have become critical considerations in drug selection.。

To improve the health status of patients with chronic diseases, Montai has decided to break away from traditional approaches to developing drugs for chronic conditions and create an entirely new drug development model.

i.e., based on proprietaryWorld's FirstHuman Molecular Bioactivity ProfileAnthromolecule^TMBioactivity AtlasDrug Development Platform Established:CONECTA^TM。

CONECTA^TMConstructing Anthromolecule^TMBioactivity Atlas Process (Image source: Montai Health official website)

To complete Anthromolecule^TMBioactivity Atlas，CONECTA^TMFirst, it is necessary to conduct a systematic and multi-dimensional characterization of each potential human-use molecule., which is the process of combining large-scale digitization of biological information with internal computational models to ultimately characterizeAt least 45 Critical Attributes of This Human-derived Molecule。

Next, CONECTA^TMthen another model needs to be established to develop the corresponding solution.By leveraging AI to learn all known metabolic pathways associated with the disease, evaluating optimized pathway solutions, and integrating relevant properties of numerous human-used molecules, we establish a mapping of the potential prioritization of these molecules in the context of the disease., thereby completing Anthromolecule^TMConstruction of the Bioactivity Atlas.

Via Anthromolecule^TMBioactivity Atlas，CONECTA^TMThis allows for the prediction of single or combination therapies that effectively regulate the disease, which, after iterative validation through wet-lab experiments, can lead to the identification of safe, effective, and accessible drug candidates for development.

To date,CONECTA^TMThe activities of tens of millions of human-use molecules in diseases have been evaluated, 13 model pathways have been established across five major disease areas, and over 50,000 Anthromolecule maps have been generated.^TMBioactivity Atlas, with multiple drug candidates advancing toward clinical stages。

Montai has translated this disruptive drug development approach from theoretical hypothesis to initial results,Flagship PioneeringRecognition of the company is reflected not only in the $50 million Series A investment, but also in itsMargo Georgiadis, Chief Executive Officer and Partnereven personally stepping in,Appointed as CEO of Montai Health。

Margo Georgiadis, CEO of Montai Health

Montai indeed provided Georgiadis with a platform to showcase his expertise. Previously, Georgiadis hadServed as President of Google Americas, andCEO of Ancestry, a Global Giant in Genetic Testing“Leveraging technology to achieve transformative improvements in life” has always been Georgiadis’s pursuit.

In Georgiadis's view,The integration of a profound understanding of natural chemistry with the systematic exploration of human-use molecules demonstrates research significance that can help fundamentally reimagine approaches to problem-solving in drug development.。

“In the long run, Montai Health’s work can deliver personalized services to people,” said Georgiadis. “Of course, the human body is complex, but when we start with a fundamentally safe molecule, it becomes a more tractable problem. That’s the exciting thing that happens when we leverage computational technologies.”