Vium Closes Technology Gap In Preclinical Research To Accelerate Drug Development

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Vium, Inc. officially exits stealth mode and introduces the first living informatics approach to transforming preclinical drug research, by applying life sciences, digital technology, and large-scale interpretive methods to living systems. Vium’s Digital Vivarium™ and Vium Cloud, which utilize unique Silicon Valley technology, enable in vivo researchers to make better informed decisions on which compounds to prioritize for further testing in a fraction of the time using traditional methods. Company co-founders Timothy L. Robertson, Ph.D. and Joe Betts-Lacroix will be demonstrating Vium’s novel platform June 6-9 at the 2016 BIO International Convention in San Francisco.

“We’ve created technology so researchers can make better decisions when they run in vivo studies on our platform.”

“While there have been tremendous advances in biological models of disease, the way experiments are run and how data is collected has not changed much in decades,” said Dr. Robertson, Vium’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve created technology so researchers can make better decisions when they run in vivo studies on our platform.”

Vium’s Digital Vivarium is a state-of-the-art facility featuring the company’s Smart Housing, a fully automated physical and digital infrastructure containing rodent cages with intelligent sensors, video, and a high-definition camera network. All information is transmitted to the Vium Cloud, where massive amounts of data are stored, computed and analyzed. Scientists design and conduct studies through an online Research Suite, where they can monitor animal behavior and well-being anytime, anywhere, with video and auditable records for ongoing analyses and easy study reproduction. Importantly, the system contains controls to reduce human error and minimize animal handling.

“Our low-touch approach provides a more humane, natural environment for animal research subjects while delivering more reliable data in a much shorter period of time,” said Betts-Lacroix, Vium’s Chief Technology Officer. “With the introduction of our living informatics platform, we are setting a new standard for animal care while giving researchers breakthrough tools for advancing human health.”

Vium is establishing best-in-class disease models using automated, digital efficacy and health metrics across a variety of therapeutic areas. The company’s Arthritis Index was recently presented at the 2016 American Association of Immunologists annual meeting. Researchers demonstrated that when applied to the standard arthritis-efficacy drug model, the Arthritis Index could be measured without labor-intensive, error-prone human-animal interactions. Soon, Vium will share research in other therapeutic areas with high unmet needs, such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, lymphoma, liver fibrosis, leukemia, phenotyping, and aging.

The co-founders’ vision caught the early attention of leading global experts in life sciences, preclinical research, and technology. In addition to Dr. Robertson and Betts Lacroix, board of director members include Jeff Kindler, former CEO, Pfizer; Dr. Annalisa Jenkins, MBBS, MRCP, Chief Executive Officer, Dimension Therapeutics; and Matt Ocko, Co-managing Partner, Data Collective. Notable advisors are David Sinclair, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; Scott J. Dylla, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder, Stemcentrx; Nigel Brown, Ph.D., former Chief of Strategy, Covance; and Clifford Roberts, D.V.M., DACLAM, former President, American College of Lab Animal Medicine.

About Vium, Inc.

Vium, founded in 2013 under the stealth name Mousera, is the first company to create a living informatics platform for preclinical in vivo drug research. The Vium Digital Vivarium™, Vium Cloud, and online Research Suite empower scientists to optimize advances in bioengineered research models in ways previously not possible. Vium is fully accredited by AAALAC International and received an unprecedented AAALAC commendation for upholding the ‘3 Rs’, the gold-standard framework for humane animal research. Customers run the spectrum of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and computational drug discovery companies, academia and novel therapeutic labs. Vium is backed by leading investors, including Lux Capital, Data Collective, Dolby Family Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, and Founders Fund.

Vium is headquartered in San Mateo, California. For more information, please visit www.vium.com.