Shift Bioscience Establishes North American Facilities to Expand Capabilities of AI-Powered Virtual Cell Technology

• Head of Machine Learning, Lucas Camillo, to lead team with Professor Bo Wang, University of Toronto, appointed as Senior Advisor
• Expansion into global AI hub to accelerate growth of IP portfolio and progress toward key technical milestones

CAMBRIDGE, England & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shift Bioscience, a biotech company using an AI powered virtual cell to fight age-related diseases, today announced the establishment of a new North American team and facilities to advance development of the Company’s platform for discovery of rejuvenation gene targets. Based in Toronto, Canada, the team will be led by Lucas Camillo, Head of Machine Learning, with Professor Bo Wang appointed as Senior Advisor. By expanding into this AI hub, the Company gains access to top machine learning talent, enabling it to further strengthen its IP portfolio and develop new capabilities for its virtual cell platform.

With an estimated 2024 market share of 32.92%¹, North America is a global hotspot for AI and machine learning scientists. Following the close of the Company’s $16M Seed funding round in October 2024², establishing a presence in this region forms a key part of the Company’s AI-focused strategy. Lucas Camillo, Head of Machine Learning, will be relocating to Toronto, Canada, to oversee the further development of the Company’s virtual cell platform, leveraging the team’s expertise to explore novel capabilities for the platform, and identify new rejuvenation gene targets.

As Senior Advisor, Professor Bo Wang will work closely with Lucas to guide ongoing development of the Company’s technology. Bo is a renowned expert in the field of AI and computational biology, specializing in AI-powered virtual cells. He is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, where his lab develops machine learning algorithms for a breadth of applications, including clinical tools for personalized patient care, and cell simulation. In addition, Bo is Chief AI Scientist for the University Health Network, Canada’s leading research hospital, and holds a Canada CIFAR AI Chair from the Vector Institute. Bo has published multiple first-author papers in high-profile journals including Nature Methods and Nature Communications.

“North America boasts some of the world’s most successful AI companies, and the importance of being able to access the region’s extensive talent pool cannot be understated,” commented Lucas Camillo, Head of Machine Learning, Shift Bioscience. He continued: “I look forward to working closely with Bo to build out a world-class team of machine learning scientists, and to continue development of our virtual cell platform as an invaluable tool to unlock new gene targets that could potentially treat even the most debilitating of age-related diseases.”

Professor Bo Wang, Senior Advisor, Shift Bioscience, said: “Embracing the transformative power of AI is crucial to developing innovative treatments that can transform patient care. Shift Bioscience’s virtual cell technology is doing just that, unlocking new gene targets that have the potential to address the growing burden of age-related diseases. I’m pleased to be joining the team, and to draw on my experience in cell simulation to accelerate the development of the Company’s powerful virtual cell platform.”

1. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/artificial-intelligence-market-100114
2. Press Release (15^th October 2024): Shift Bioscience raises $16M to advance AI virtual cell platform for cell rejuvenation