We recently sat down with the five techbio companies accepted into the Fall 2026 Drive cohort to learn more about their science, their “ah-ha” moments, and how Drive is changing the trajectory of their business. Next up, it’s QurieGen, a techbio company building a “Google Maps for cells” to de-risk and accelerate drug discovery.
Kinga Matuła
1. What problem are you obsessed with solving, and why does it matter right now?
We’re getting incredibly good at designing new drugs, but here’s the catch: we still don’t understand biology well enough! We don’t fully understand how cells respond to treatments, why some patients benefit while others don’t, or why so many drugs fail.
That’s the problem we’re obsessed with solving at QurieGen!
We’re developing technologies that let us see how individual cells respond to treatments, uncover biology we couldn’t see before, and use that knowledge to build AI virtual cell models.
And the timing couldn’t be more exciting! AI is moving incredibly fast, but we’re still missing the biological data needed to make these models truly useful. We’ve spent years developing technology to generate exactly that kind of data, even before the current AI boom!
Our ambition is to change how we understand biology and ultimately help develop better, more effective treatments for patients. Because the better we understand biology, the better medicines we can create!
2. What’s a recent moment that made you think, “this could really work”?
We’ve actually had quite a few of those moments recently, which is a pretty amazing feeling after years of hard work!
One that really stands out is a project where we studied an existing cancer drug and discovered biological mechanisms that conventional technologies had missed. We found signaling pathways that remained active despite treatment, pointing to a potential new combination therapy.
That’s the exciting part! We’re not just generating beautiful datasets or publishing interesting science. We’re uncovering biology that could actually change how drugs are developed.
And what’s even more exciting is seeing pharma and biotech companies recognize the potential of our platform not only to understand how existing drugs and drug candidates work, but also to discover entirely new drug targets and druggable mechanisms that could open the door to new therapies.
When people who develop medicines for a living start bringing you their toughest biological questions and see your technology as a way to discover new therapeutic opportunities, it’s a pretty good sign you’re onto something!
3. Since joining Drive, what’s one shift in your thinking, strategy, or network that’s had a real impact on your company?
One of the best parts of DRIVE has been working with such a fantastic group of mentors: Ben Davies, Michelle Luo, Ethan Than, Rick Pierce, and Claire Smith!
They come from very different backgrounds, have experience at top companies, and bring so many different perspectives.
But that’s exactly what makes it so valuable. It opens our eyes to opportunities we hadn’t considered, challenges our assumptions, and helps us look at strategic decisions from completely different angles.
We really appreciate that they don’t just tell us what we want to hear. They challenge us, and that’s exactly what we need as we figure out how to grow QurieGen into a global company. Having access to so much experience in one program is pretty incredible! And one more thing: we absolutely love Boston! The energy, the people, the biotech community… it’s hard not to get excited about building a company here. It really feels like the place to be!
