Flagship’s Apriori Bio aims to predict COVID-19, influenza, HIV variants

Flagship’s Apriori Bio aims to predict COVID-19, influenza, HIV variants

Published: Jul 12, 2022 

By Vanessa Doctor, RN

BioSpace

In a busy 24 hours of launches, Flagship Pioneering announced Apriori Bio, which utilizes artificial intelligence to predict virus activity and variant formation, including in COVID-19. 

Octavia, the AI platform developed by Apriori, has the ability to infer the potential variants that might come out of a single viral variant, as well as define the antibodies that may protect against its current and future versions. The goal is to have a proactive approach, hence the name “a priori” (which means before things appear), to virus management through machine learning.

Apriori Bio, founded in 2020, has Flagship’s sole financial backing, with the leading venture capital firm committing $50 million to its research and development efforts. How much Apriori Bio and Octavia are worth is unknown to date, but the company said it has adequate funds to support its exploration and expansion plans. It is also vague on the stage of research it is currently at. Apriori is part of the rapidly expanding Flagship ecosystem, which consists of 41 companies, including Moderna, Denali Therapeutics and Seres Therapeutics. 

Through AI, Octavia models can learn how virus variants behave and pinpoint those that might bring the most significant threat. This will enable researchers and scientists to create variant-proof antibody drugs and vaccines that are preventive instead of simply reactive. The tools and datasets from the platform generate real-time pathogen intelligence that can aid in the creation of effective public health policies. 

“The world was brought to its knees two years ago by the COVID-19 pandemic. We must imagine a future in which we secure our health instead of resigning ourselves to being unprepared for viral threats. Apriori Bio’s technology platform can be used to develop vaccines and antibody drugs for viral variants that have yet to emerge, taking a leap toward shielding humanity from existing and future viral threats,” Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of Flagship Pioneering and co-founder and chairman of Apriori Bio said in a statement. 

Apriori Bio is currently exploring potential partnerships with private firms and government agencies while building up its capacity to develop and produce vaccines and antibody therapies to combat a wide range of viruses. Included in its list of priorities are those that the World Health Organization classifies as the greatest threat, including influenza, HIV and SARS-CoV-2. 

“By integrating and learning from evolutionary and experimental data at unprecedented scale, Apriori can infer the behavior of and mitigate the danger posed by existing and future viral variants. Using Octavia, we can design uniquely effective new medicines and support public health by predicting the impact of emerging variants in real time,” Lovisa Afzelius, Ph.D., origination partner at Flagship Pioneering and co-Founder and CEO of Apriori commented.

Afzelius noted, “Future outbreaks are inevitable, but preparedness is a choice. Apriori shifts the concept of preparedness for viral threats.” 

Source: BioSpace