Variant Bio

Variant Bio is a genomics-driven drug discovery company based in Seattle that leverages the power of human genetic diversity to develop life-saving therapies. The company's research model revolves around forming ethical partnerships with communities worldwide and respecting the people who contribute to its studies. Variant Bio focuses on identifying novel and population-specific genetic variants that are associated with exceptional health-related traits, such as disease resistance. These genetic insights are then validated and translated into therapeutic programs targeting areas of significant unmet medical needs like fibrotic, kidney, and liver diseases.

As of June 2023, Variant Bio has established over 20 genomic research partnerships across six continents. The company has built a pipeline with a program in lead optimization, bringing it closer to delivering medicines to patients. Variant Bio's priority therapeutic areas currently include inflammation-immunology, fibrosis, and kidney diseases. In June 2023, the company appointed David E. Moller, MD, as Chief Scientific Officer and Steve Bryant, PhD, as Chief Business Officer, signaling a new phase focused on drug discovery and development.

Key customers and partnerships

In April 2024, Variant Bio partnered with Evotec to develop new treatments for fibrotic disease using Variant Bio's genomic discovery expertise and VB-Inference platform and Evotec's antifibrotic drug discovery data and end-to-end R&D platform. Other notable partnerships include the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar, the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Bilhi Genetics in Uganda, the George Institute for Global Health India, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in India, the Mochtar Riady Institute for Nanotechnology in Indonesia, FarGen and the University of Copenhagen in the Faroe Islands, the University of Otago in New Zealand, and the Groupement des Hôpitaux de l'Institut Catholique de Lille in French Polynesia.

Through these collaborations, Variant Bio engages with diverse communities across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands, focusing on understanding the genetic factors underlying various diseases, including kidney disease, liver fibrosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, gout, and metabolic disorders like diabetes.