Parse Biosciences, Bit.bio Team Up to Map Cell Identity

The partners aim to build datasets to guide AI-based drug discovery and cell manufacturing.

Parse Biosciences and Bit.bio have partnered to map transcription factors driving cell identity, with the goal of advancing AI models for use in drug discovery and human cell manufacturing.

The companies said on May 27 that they will combine Parse’s Evercode single-cell sequencing technology with Bit.bio’s opti-ox cell programming platform and its Cell Foundry. Together, they plan to test thousands of genetic variables simultaneously to establish causal links between specific genetic changes and biological outcomes.

“Cells operate on code, and by mapping how specific transcription factors dictate cell fate, we are unlocking that operating system. This collaboration doesn’t just generate data; it provides a foundational map for bit.bio to scale human-relevant models and feed predictive AI systems,” Przemek Obloj, CEO of Bit.bio, said in a statement.

Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bit.bio, which spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016, has raised more than $200 million to date.

Parse, a University of Washington spinout, was recently acquired by Qiagen for $225 million in cash with additional potential milestone payments.