Meet ‘LatchBio’, An AI-based Biotech Company That Provides a Code-Free Platform for Bioinformatics Research

Biologists today create 10,000 times more data for each experiment than a decade ago, which is far more challenging to comprehend. Transforming this enormous amount of data into meaningful insights is costly and time-consuming, preventing life-saving treatments from reaching the needy and halting scientific progress. Biologists are often more at ease in the lab than in front of a computer, and they lack the software knowledge to tackle this problem independently. Talented bioinformaticians who can handle this data are very rare.

San Francisco-based LatchBio is attempting to address this issue by providing a repository of versioned no-code tools, managed computer infrastructure, and a collaborative data hub that is specifically designed for biological research. Its purpose is to provide researchers with a simple, integrated tool for data analysis without the need for a computer scientist. It uses pre-programmed methods to unpack and analyze standard data formats such as DNA sequencing and protein folding files. Biologists can use a variety of easy interfaces to handle their data and collaborate.

Their technology can save months of time in developing a user interface and data architecture for each bioinformatics workflow the user creates. One can easily create and launch custom pipelines in Latch in minutes. While LatchBio’s primary focus is on no-code alternatives for bench scientists, it also provides a full API and SDK for developers and bioinformaticians who may need to create custom code. 

LatchBio aims to build and disseminate the data infrastructure of the biocomputing revolution. They have partnered with The Innovative Genomics Institute, BitBio, EligoBio, Geltor, and many leading bio labs to help them with their data.

The company has recently raised $28 million in a Series A funding round. The round was co-led by Coatue and Lux Capital. Hummingbird Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Haystack, and Fifty Years also participated in the round. LatchBio plans to use these funds to improve its web-based data processing platform and expand its team.

References:

• https://latch.bio/
• https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/latch-ai
• https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/02/latchbio-empowers-scientists-with-a-code-free-platform-for-handling-big-biotech-data/
• https://venturebeat.com/2022/06/02/latchbio-raises-28m-to-corral-bio-data/