Belfast-based biotech startup AMPLY Discovery has raised $1.75 million in seed funding to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine: drug resistance. Using its proprietary AI platform, AMPLY is pioneering the development of targeted therapies for aggressive cancers and antibiotic-resistant infections.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) causes over 1.27 million deaths annually and contributes to nearly 5 million more. Without breakthroughs, the healthcare sector could face trillions in costs by 2050. AMPLY’s AI-first approach offers a scalable solution to combat these threats through precision medicine.
Fighting Drug Resistance with Scalable Precision Medicine
Unlike most biotech startups focused on a single asset, AMPLY is building a broad pipeline targeting multiple diseases. The company is already advancing inhalable peptides for drug-resistant lung infections and gene-silencing therapies for deadly cancers like acute myeloid leukemia and triple-negative breast cancer.
The new capital will help AMPLY fast-track its discovery programs through the preclinical stage. It will also fuel expansion into biologics and new therapeutic targets. The goal: to deliver treatments that evolve faster than pathogens—and faster than cancer.
AMPLY’s long-term vision includes creating a rapid-response platform for future pandemics. Its proprietary AI engine, AMPLYfolioAI, integrates Next Generation Sequencing, synthetic biology, and machine learning to design biologic drugs tailored to genetic profiles. The technology scans massive biological datasets to discover new targets, then bio-prints custom molecules for real-world testing.
By merging nature’s evolutionary wisdom with modern AI, AMPLY hopes to deliver safe, targeted treatments at lower cost and higher speed—offering a powerful alternative to traditional drug development pipelines.
Founders Driven by Science—and Personal Loss
Founded as a spin-out from Queen’s University Belfast, AMPLY Discovery combines scientific rigor with deeply personal motivation. CEO Dr. Ben Thomas, a former financial modeller, was driven into computational biology after losing his father to a drug-resistant infection. “Evolution has spent billions of years perfecting natural defense systems. Now we’re using AI to unlock that,” Dr. Thomas said. “This isn’t just professional. It’s personal. Our healthcare system couldn’t save my father, and I’m building technology that could prevent that outcome for others.”
Dr. Thomas earned his PhD from Aberystwyth University and developed the platform during his time at Queen’s. He teamed up with COO Dermot Tierney and Professor Chris Creevey, an expert in computational biology whose decade of research forms the backbone of the platform.
Together, they’ve created a drug discovery engine capable of decoding disease complexity with unmatched precision. AMPLYfolioAI is already yielding promising leads for treating infections and cancers with high unmet needs.
Backers See Game-Changing Potential in AMPLY’s Platform
The seed round was led by Twin Path Ventures, a UK-based AI investor with a reputation for backing breakthrough technologies. Other participants include Venture Science (US), Co-Fund NI, the British Business Bank, and QUBIS Limited.
Katie Lockwood, Partner at Twin Path, explained the investment: “Data is the new oil. We were impressed by AMPLY’s proprietary datasets, the fusion of AI with human expertise, and their ability to validate lab results. This platform could truly reshape how we treat complex diseases.”
AMPLY’s team believes this funding is especially significant in today’s difficult biotech market.
COO Dermot Tierney said: “This capital allows us to accelerate development in therapeutic areas with urgent need. It’s a strong vote of confidence in AMPLY, especially in a tough fundraising climate for early-stage biotech.”
With its combination of personal mission, scientific innovation, and investor backing, AMPLY Discovery is set to lead the next wave of AI-driven precision medicine.
