Meta-Flux expands AI platform to speed up drug development

Dublin-based biotech startup Meta-Flux has raised €1.8 million ($2 million) in seed funding to expand its decision-support platform for preclinical drug development. The company aims to bridge the gap between preclinical research and clinical application, using AI to help researchers identify the most promising therapeutic opportunities.

The funding round includes support from senior executives at Pfizer, Merck and Gilead Sciences, as well as technology leaders from Google, Amazon and Indeed.

Using AI to understand how biology really works

Meta-Flux integrates data from genes, proteins and metabolic pathways, combining biological reasoning with artificial intelligence to show how systems function as a whole. This systems-level perspective enables drug developers to discover better treatments faster and avoid costly dead ends.

“Bringing a new drug to market is slow, expensive, and uncertain. Too often, promising drugs fail because researchers can’t clearly predict how they’ll behave,” said Meta-Flux co-founder Lee Sherlock. “A lot of drugs end up failing because they have the wrong application. Our goal isn’t just to get more drugs to market, but to make sure the ones that do actually help the right people. Once you have that drug and once you have the target, we help you figure out what application you should go after, what particular type of disease, what subtype of that disease, and what patients you’re going to be treating.”

Meta-Flux co-founders Lee Sherlock (CEO) and Brendan Martin (CTO) at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) in
Dublin, with an 800 MHz NMR spectrometer.

Standing out in an AI-saturated market

As AI continues to reshape pharmaceutical R&D, Meta-Flux’s approach has demonstrated careful attention for turning complex data into actionable insights.

“In a market saturated with AI claims, Meta-Flux stands out because it delivers actionable answers,” said Fernando Ferrer, a data engineering leader and investor in Meta-Flux. “Their platform gives scientists a way to cut through the noise and accelerate the path from development to decision.”

Expanding across Europe and the US

Meta-Flux recently completed three major accelerator programs – Techstars Chicago (powered by J.P. Morgan), MassBio DRIVE in Boston and the NDRC Accelerator at Dogpatch Labs in Dublin – all designed to connect emerging techbio startups with pharma mentors and investors.

Following this seed round, the company plans to expand its team and support new pharmaceutical collaborations across Europe and the United States.