Lagomics unlocks scalable, high-throughput validation of AI-designed protein interactions using a cell-free, DNA-barcoded platform. By mapping complex interaction networks like those in sensory biology, it accelerates therapeutic discovery and enables digital applications such as programmable smell, precision flavor design, and bio-device interfaces previously inaccessible through conventional lab methods.
FELLOW
Kiavash Kiaee
As co-founder and CTO of Lagomics, Kiavash Kiaee is pioneering multiplexed mapping of biomolecular interactions via DNA barcodes and next-generation sequencing. Kiaee earned a Ph.D. in bioengineering and has over five years of industry experience at Ginkgo Bioworks, GC Therapeutics, and Harvard Genetics (Church Lab), where he advanced genome editing and cell therapy platforms, including scalable iPSC workflows. Kiaee co-led a $9.4M ARPA-H award and designed scalable, cloud-based wet-lab and informatics pipelines to accelerate target discovery.
Yasamin Jodat
Yasamin Jodat is a bioengineer specializing in automation, synthetic biology, and high-throughput discovery. Her Ph.D. research at Harvard Medical School explored biosensing, engineered tissues, and 3D-printed biomimetics to unlock new biological models. With five years of industry experience building multi-million-dollar genomic engineering systems at Ginkgo Bioworks, Jodat now focuses on creating tools to decode complex molecular interactions, including the mysteries of the biology of smell.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
AI is rapidly accelerating the design of novel proteins, but current methods to validate whether these proteins function or interact as intended remain slow, costly, and limited in scale. This creates a widening disconnect between what AI can generate and what biology can confirm. This represents a critical gap in fields like sensory biology, where key interaction networks, such as how olfactory receptors detect odorants, remain poorly mapped. Faster, scalable validation is needed to enable more rapid therapeutic discovery, facilitate the reprogramming of biological systems, and unlock new ways to integrate biology with digital technologies.
Technology Vision
Lagomics is building a scalable validation engine that uses DNA-barcoded libraries and next-generation sequencing to measure functional interactions between proteins and their targets in a massively parallel format. Unlike conventional assays that test one pair at a time, this cell-free system allows thousands of designed proteins to interact simultaneously with diverse ligands, receptors, or molecular partners. By directly linking protein identity to functional output, the engine creates a generation-to-validation flywheel that vastly improves generative models. This approach enables rapid mapping of complex biological systems like olfaction, turning previously untestable AI-generated proteins into actionable data for therapeutics and bio-digital interfaces.
Potential for Impact
Lagomics transforms validation from a slow, one-by-one process into a scalable, multiplexed system that directly links protein sequence to function across thousands of interactions. This capability not only accelerates therapeutic discovery but also unlocks previously inaccessible areas of biology. One of the most profound impacts is in sensory biology, where the platform can decode complex receptor-ligand networks such as the human sense of smell. By turning sensory responses into structured, digital data, Lagomics enables new applications in precision flavor design, quality control, digital olfaction, and engineered interfaces that bridge biology with devices.
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Lagomics