Baseimmune raises $11.3m to develop ‘cutting-edge’ AI vaccine algorithm

The latest round was led by new investors MSD Global Health Innovation Fund and IQ Capital, with participation from existing investors including Hoxton Ventures, Creator Fund, Beast Ventures and Maki.vc.

The funding will enable Baseimmune to accelerate development of its three vaccine candidates currently in preclinical development for African swine fever, coronavirus, and malaria.

The company will also use the new capital to further advance its technology, expand its team, increase the number of programs in development and accelerate new vaccine programs.

“We’re thrilled to have the support of a top-tier investor syndicate led by MSD Global Health Innovation Fund and IQ Capital. This funding will enable us to accelerate the development of our technology, scale our programs, and expedite the delivery of impactful vaccines against future pathogens,” said Joshua Blight, CEO & co-founder of Baseimmune.

“We are more excited than ever about the possibilities and remain focused in our commitment to disrupting the future of pandemic readiness.”

David Rubin, managing director at MSD Global Health, a new investor for Baseimmune, said he is ‘excited’ to support this ‘forward-looking’ team and his company believes its technology marks a ‘significant advancement’ in proactive, adaptable vaccine solutions.

Baseimmune was founded in 2019 by Joshua Blight and Ariane Gomes, who met while doing their PhDs at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, and software engineer Phillip Kemlo who built the antigen design platform.

According to the company, its AI-based design algorithm shortens the time it takes to develop stronger cross-protective vaccine candidates

The antigen designs can be fed into any vaccine technology platform, including mRNA, DNA and viral vectors, to create universal ‘future-proof’ vaccines engineered to be effective against current and potentially emerging variants.

"We are excited to announce our strategic investment in Baseimmune, a cutting-edge biotech leveraging AI to innovate vaccine therapies,” commented Alex Wilson, partner at IQ Capital.g

“By using a computational platform and innovative AI prediction algorithm, Baseimmune is pioneering the next generation of universal vaccines against a spectrum of human and animal health threats, from COVID to malaria and African Swine Fever.”