<p>During a health-focused event in New York on Tuesday, Google announced that it&#8217;s developing a collection of &#8220;open&#8221; AI models for drug discovery called TxGemma. The AI models, which Google said will be released through its Health AI Developer Foundations program later this month, can understand both &#8220;regular text&#8221; and the structures of different &#8220;therapeutic [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Artificial intelligence continues stirring things up in chemistry. To wit: Y Combinator-backed Cambridge, U.K.-based ReactWise is using AI to speed up chemical manufacturing — a key step in bringing new drugs to market. Once a promising drug has been identified in the lab, pharma firms need to be able to produce much larger amounts of [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last week, at the Abundance Summit in Los Angeles, billionaire entrepreneur Travis Kalanick gave attendees a rare glimpse into his vision for the future of his newest company, CloudKitchens. While today the eight-year-old L.A.-based outfit is known for a growing real estate portfolio that it uses to it host – and set up – restaurants [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In the same way that genome sequencing determines the genetic makeup of an organism, Bryan Johnson — the investor and founder behind the Don’t Die movement — wants to start “foodome” sequencing.  “We’re going to sequence the U.S. ‘foodome,’ which means test 20% of foods that constitute 80% of the American diet based on stuff [&hellip;]</p>

<p>VC funding into AI tools for healthcare was projected to hit $11 billion last year &#8212; a headline figure that speaks to the widespread conviction that artificial intelligence will prove transformative in a critical sector. Many startups applying AI in healthcare are seeking to drive efficiencies by automating some of the administration that orbits and [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Hinge Health, a 10-year-old company that offers a digital solution to treat chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, filed to go public. Although Hinge has not yet announced how many shares, nor priced them, the IPO specialists at Renaissance Capital estimate the company hopes to raise up to $500 million in its offering. Hinge’s revenue in 2024 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Tracking an aspect of your health is one of the most popular applications for wearables these days. In the U.S. alone, 44% of Americans own devices specifically for this purpose, according to one recent report. A startup called Junction believes that more can be done with that data: It can be shared with researchers and [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Medical imaging is a broad term that encompasses several distinct technologies. After working on AI-powered tools to enhance X-rays and mammographies, French startup Gleamer now aims to tackle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Instead of starting from scratch, Gleamer acquired a startup that has already been working on AI-powered MRI analysis, Caerus Medical, and is merging [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The CEO of Colossal, a startup that aims to use genetic editing techniques to bring back extinct species, including the wooly mammoth, assured audiences at SXSW that the company has no plans to create a real-life Jurassic Park — lest there was any doubt. &#8220;Modern conservation isn&#8217;t working [&#8230;] and we&#8217;re gonna need a &#8216;de-extinction&#8217; [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Ataraxis AI has raised a $20.4 million Series A to make cancer treatment more personalized.</p>

<p>A U.K. startup, originating from founder Jacob Nathan&#8217;s high school science project on using enzymes to break down plastic waste, has secured an oversubscribed $18.3 million in Series A funding. Founded in 2019 in London, Epoch Biodesign is now a 30+ strong multidisciplinary team of chemists, biologists, and software engineers. The startup will use the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Colossal Biosciences, known for its outlandish goal to resurrect the woolly mammoth by 2028, is claiming steady progress. Its evidence: genetically engineering mice to have mammoth-like fur. To engineer the woolly mouse, the company&#8217;s scientists found mouse versions of mammoth genes and then used CRISPR to edit mice embryos, Dr. Beth Shapiro, chief science officer [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Biograph, a company co-founded by longevity guru Peter Attia and a prominent Silicon Valley VC, has emerged from stealth. </p>

<p>Millie, a California-based maternity clinic, founded by Anu Sharma, announced the raise of a $12 million Series A by investors including Foreground Capital, TMV, and Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures.  Sharma was inspired to launch the company after the birth of her daughter in 2019. She faced pregnancy complications and, since she grew up with [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Canadian biotech startup Afynia Laboratories, a spin-out from McMaster University in Ontario, has picked up $5 million in seed funding to commercialize a blood test for endometriosis &#8212; a medical condition that can afflict people with a uterus, causing problems like chronic pelvic pain and fertility issues. Endometriosis affects nearly 200 million people worldwide. Getting [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani’s appeal to overturn their fraud convictions and reduce their prison sentences was denied Monday by the Northern District Court of California, which also refused to soften their $452 million joint restitution order. Holmes, the founder of Theranos, and Balwani, its former COO, were convicted in separate trials in 2022 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Tiny Michigan biotech startup CircNova has raised a $3.3 million seed round for its technology that uses AI to target &#8220;circular RNA.&#8221; The development holds promise as a new method to quickly develop therapies for conditions that currently have no drug treatments. The new funding is also a victory lap for co-founder and CEO Crystal [&hellip;]</p>

<p>AI Innovators, seize your moment! Have insights that could inspire 1,200 AI founders, investors, and enthusiasts eager to advance the future of AI? Take center stage, influence the AI conversation, and exchange ideas at TechCrunch Sessions: AI on June 5 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. We’re gathering top AI visionaries from the startup world to [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Recalls in the food and beverage industry due to contamination incidents can be catastrophic for a company. Not only do companies have to pay fines and damages, but also the impacts on the brand’s reputation can be long-lasting. That’s why Spore.Bio, a Paris-based deep tech startup, is trying to reinvent microbiology testing to get ahead [&hellip;]</p>

<p>For decades, couples going through in vitro fertilization have had to spend tens of thousands of dollars on the procedures with no guarantee of success. It’s not only an emotionally draining process, but a financially exhausting one as well. San Francisco-based startup Future Family wants to help ease some of that burden for couples with [&hellip;]</p>