Phare Bio Selected to Participate in the Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI to Advance Open-Access Antibiotic Discovery Platform

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phare Bio, a biotech social venture using AI to combat the global antibiotic resistance crisis, has been selected to participate in the Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI – to advance its groundbreaking work in antibiotic research and development. Along with a share of $30 million in funding, Phare Bio will receive 6 months of pro bono technical expertise to support the continued buildout of Phare Bio’s AI-powered, open-access drug discovery platform – a resource designed to galvanize global researchers and reinvigorate antibiotic innovation at a time of mounting public health urgency.

Phare Bio’s platform, built in partnership with the Collins Lab at MIT, harnesses the power of generative AI to design entirely new classes of antibiotics. The platform integrates advanced machine learning models with biological screening to rapidly identify and optimize drug candidates with high precision and reduced toxicity. This work aims to address antibiotic resistance, a silent pandemic expected to claim nearly 40 million lives worldwide by 2050.

“This support from Google.org helps ensure that the tools we’re building don’t just stay in the lab – they empower researchers, developers, and communities around the world to accelerate their own antibiotic discoveries,” said Dr. Akhila Kosaraju, CEO and President of Phare Bio. “This investment in open-access infrastructure reflects a shared commitment to science as a global public good.”

This support builds off the extraordinary momentum and support from ARPA-H and the Audacious Project, underscoring Phare Bio’s growing impact and potential. These resources are helping expand the platform’s generative AI capabilities, enabling researchers to virtually design customized antibiotic candidates with properties tailored to real-world clinical needs – a radical shift in drug discovery.

Karla Palmer, Manager, AI & Scientific Progress, at Google.org, added:

“We were inspired by Phare Bio’s vision to not only reinvent antibiotic discovery through AI but to make those tools available to the broader scientific community. Their platform has the potential to catalyze a new era of global collaboration and accelerate progress against one of the world’s most urgent health threats.”

With a goal to develop 15 preclinical antibiotics by 2030, Phare Bio is setting a new gold standard for mission-aligned biotech innovation.

About Phare Bio

Phare Bio is a social venture using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop novel classes of antibiotics in partnership with Jim Collins' lab at MIT. Founded in 2020 to address the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance, Phare Bio is a recipient of the Audacious Project, a collaborative funding initiative between TED and leading nonprofits to support bold solutions to global challenges. The company combines cutting-edge machine learning with world-class science to accelerate the discovery of urgently needed antibiotics. To learn more, visit www.pharebio.org or email info@pharebio.org.