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Pragma Bio develops an AI-enabled, biology-first platform focused on discovering, developing, and testing novel small molecules derived from the human gut microbiome. The company’s approach leverages machine learning to identify clinically relevant compounds that target the gut-immune axis, addressing a range of challenging immunological conditions. This platform is designed to systematically mine untapped biological sources for therapeutic candidates.
The company was founded by Kareem Barghouti, who serves as CEO, stemming from an insight into the vast, underexplored chemical diversity within the human microbiome. This foundational understanding posited that nature-designed compounds, particularly those found within humans, hold significant potential for treating immune-related health outcomes. Barghouti’s vision led to the creation of a systematic method to map and harness these complex biological interactions.
Pragma Bio aims to deliver precision drug discovery to patients suffering from immunological disorders, including certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. By focusing on the gut-immune axis, the company’s long-term vision is to bring forward a new generation of effective immune therapies. Their work seeks to provide cures for previously undruggable conditions, translating complex biological data into novel treatments.
Pragma Bio has raised $15.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Pragma Bio has raised $15.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Pragma Bio has raised $15.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Pragma Bio's investors include Ahren Innovation Capital, BASF Venture Capital, Comcast Ventures, Gaingels, Mana Ventures, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Pillar VC, Pitango Venture Capital, The Venture Collective (TVC), Type One Ventures, BoxOne Ventures, Harmonix Fund.
Pragma Bio is a biotechnology company developing AI-enabled, biology-first platforms to discover novel small-molecule therapeutics from the gut microbiome, targeting the gut-immune axis for immunological disorders like cancer, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease.[1][2][3][4] Its core product, the PIKASO platform (including the Lattice engine), mines biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) using real-world evidence, multi-omics data, bioinformatics, synthetic biology, and phenotypic screening to identify, synthesize, and test gut-derived molecules that modulate immune responses, addressing high failure rates in traditional target-first drug discovery.[1][2][3][4] The company serves pharmaceutical partners and research organizations, solving the problem of undruggable diseases by de-risking efficacy through naturally evolved compounds; growth includes a $10M Series A in 2023 (total funding $15M+), a $3.1M co-development deal with Syntekabio in 2025, and partnerships with Merck and others.[1][3][5]
Pragma Bio, formerly VastBiome, was founded in 2019 in South San Francisco, California (with some sources noting Millbrae), by a team of biotech veterans including Mohamed Donia, PhD (Scientific Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, ex-Acerta Pharma), Abbas Kazimi, MS (CBO, ex-Nimbus Therapeutics), Ayin Vala, MS (Co-Founder and Chief AI Officer), and Grazia Piizzi, PhD (biopharma executive in small-molecule discovery).[1][3][4][6] The idea emerged from recognizing the untapped potential of gut microbiome-derived molecules—naturally evolved chemicals linked to immune health outcomes—over synthetic libraries prone to clinical failures; early traction built through academic and pharma partnerships, immuno-oncology biomarkers, and scalable enzyme expression, culminating in the 2023 $10M raise led by The Venture Collective with Viking Global, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, and CJ Investments.[3]
Pragma Bio rides the microbiome therapeutics and AI-drug discovery wave, leveraging synergies in synthetic biology, multi-omics, and machine learning to map gut-immune interactions amid rising failures (90%+) in traditional small-molecule pipelines.[1][2][3][4] Timing aligns with post-2020 advances in real-world evidence datasets and SynBio scalability, fueled by market forces like surging demand for immuno-oncology and autoimmune treatments (e.g., IBD, cancer) where microbiome modulation shows promise in clinical outcomes.[1][5] It influences the ecosystem by partnering with big pharma (Merck, Syntekabio) to derisk novel modalities, bridging biotech startups with industrial-scale manufacturing, and pioneering BGC mining as a source for "undruggable" targets, potentially expanding to broader immune disorders.[3][5]
Pragma Bio is poised to advance microbiome-derived candidates into clinics, with near-term milestones likely from the Syntekabio partnership yielding optimized oral therapies for IBD and beyond, building on its $15M+ funding and elite team.[1][3][5] Trends like AI-orchestrated SynBio, expanded real-world/multi-omics data, and immune-disease epidemics will propel its platform, potentially evolving influence through more co-development deals, internal pipelines, or acquisitions by majors seeking natural-product edges. This positions Pragma Bio to transform gut-immune axis drugging from fringe science to standard, delivering on its promise of life-changing medicines for hard-to-treat disorders.[2][4][7]
Pragma Bio has raised $15.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $10.0M Series A in March 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2023 | $10M Series A | — | Ahren Innovation Capital, BASF Venture Capital, Comcast Ventures, Gaingels, Mana Ventures, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Pillar VC, Pitango Venture Capital, The Venture Collective (tvc), Type ONE Ventures | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2020 | $5M Seed | — | BoxOne Ventures, Harmonix Fund | Announced |
