Apr 4, 2022

Acquisition to accelerate scaling of BigHat’s AI/ML-enabled drug discovery platform BigHat Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing safer, more effective next-generation antibody therapies for patients using machine learning and synthetic biology, announced the acquisition of Frugi Biotechnology, a biotechnology company developing cost-effective and high-quality cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) technology. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “We have been enthusiastically watching the progress of BigHat from their launch, and see tremendous potential in the platform they are building; we are honored to join such a world-class team” BigHat plans to integrate this CFPS technology into its novel AI/ML-enabled drug discovery platform to allow BigHat to rapidly scale to meet the growing demands for its platform from partners and for internal therapeutic programs. With this acquisition, BigHat brings in-house a reliable supply of one key input to BigHat’s drug discovery platform. “Cell-free protein synthesis is a foundational technology for BigHat’s platform, allowing us to rapidly synthesize and test antibodies in a matter of days. We are excited to join forces with the incredible team at Frugi to further develop our cell-free synthesis capabilities,” said  Peyton Greenside , BigHat’s CSO and co-founder. Frugi Biotechnology’s proprietary, and scalable CFPS technology will facilitate further research to improve CFPS for antibody production. Adam Carr, Frugi’s co-founder and VP of technology, will join BigHat and continue developing and integrating this technology into BigHat’s platform. “We have been enthusiastically watching the progress of BigHat from their launch, and see tremendous potential in the platform they are building; we are honored to join such a world-class team,” said  Dr. Nigel Reuel  Associate professor at Iowa State University, co-founder and CEO at Frugi Biotechnology.