Program designed to accelerate Model Medicines’ deployment of AI-generated medical countermeasures that enhance the U.S.’ readiness for public health emergencies.
La Jolla, CA – June 12, 2025 — Model Medicines, a leading generative AI biotech platform, announced today its selection to the 2025 VANGUARD Cohort, the most competitive track within the BioTools Innovator (BTI) Accelerator, a joint initiative between BioTools Innovator, the world’s first-ever accelerator focused on life science research tools, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
VANGUARD is an initiative of the BARDA Accelerator Network designed to support startups in deploying innovative medical countermeasures that enhance the U.S.’ readiness for public health emergencies. The VANGUARD Cohort represents the most selective and strategically impactful track of the BioTools Innovator Accelerator. Model Medicines is one of only 10 companies selected to join the VANGUARD track in 2025, a recognition of its technical excellence and strategic relevance to national biosecurity.
"The VANGUARD selection places us in a rarefied group of biotechs shaping the future of national biosecurity," said Dr. Daniel Haders, CEO of Model Medicines. "Through this partnership, we aim to accelerate our GALILEO™ platform's proven ability to rapidly discover novel medical countermeasures, including next-generation antivirals, against both known and emerging threats to enhance the United States’ readiness for public health emergencies."
Enabling Technologies for U.S. Health Security
The VANGUARD program is one of five specialized BARDA Accelerator Network Hubs designed to support the rapid development, evaluation, and validation of medical countermeasures. VANGUARD supports life science tools and drug discovery platforms that improve speed, capacity, scalability, and clinical care coordination in response to public health emergencies.
Model Medicines was chosen for its transformational work in pandemic preparedness and rapid-response antiviral development, particularly its proprietary, multi-modal, Generative-AI GALILEO™ Drug Discovery platform.
Model Medicines’ selection to this elite program follows the company’s demonstrated success in delivering:
● GALILEO™: A generative AI platform capable of exploring over 52 trillion chemical entities using adaptive molecular embeddings and out-of-domain generalization.
● Twelve novel chemical entities (NCEs) discovered through one-shot AI modeling, with a 100% in vitro hit rate.
● MDL-001: A potentially category-defining oral, broad-spectrum antiviral targeting the conserved Thumb-1 site in viral polymerases.
● AmesNet: A best-in-class ADMET model for predictive mutagenicity screening.
MDL-001 targets the Thumb-1 allosteric site in viral polymerases, a functionally conserved pocket across multiple viral families, and has demonstrated preclinical efficacy against SARS-CoV-2, Norovirus, Influenza, Hepatitis C, and other indications.
Strategic Alignment with BARDA’s Mission
Through its participation in the VANGUARD Accelerator and the broader BARDA Accelerator Network, Model Medicines will collaborate with ASPR and HHS to advance solutions that:
● Increase readiness and response speed to public health emergencies
● Enable rapid creation and deployment of medical countermeasures
● Leverage AI to identify druggable targets and therapeutics before outbreaks occur
"The VANGUARD selection validates the power of our GALILEO™ platform to rapidly identify and develop medical countermeasures in the face of public health and national security emergencies, including novel acting antivirals. By combining advanced AI with deep biological insights, we can discover stockpile-ready treatments months or even years faster than traditional approaches, ensuring we're prepared for future biological threats," added Haders.
Model Medicines will begin formal
engagement with BARDA at the 2025 Innovator Summit later this month, advancing
the application of AI-driven drug discovery to strengthen national preparedness
and accelerate the development of next-generation medical countermeasures.
About VANGUARD and the BARDA Accelerator Network
VANGUARD is the enabling technologies hub of the BARDA Accelerator Network. It empowers life science startups that advance drug discovery, biomanufacturing, and clinical care coordination—critical components of the U.S. government’s strategy to strengthen pandemic response infrastructure. Learn more at https://drive.hhs.gov/accelerators.html
About BioTools Innovator
Based in Los Angeles, BioTools Innovator was established to advance cutting-edge research and improve human health by accelerating the growth of a broad spectrum of life science tools and diagnostics. BioTools Innovator matches industry leaders with innovative early-stage and emerging growth biotechnology-focused companies for mentorship and support.
BioTools Innovator is powered by MedTech Innovator (MTI), the world’s largest accelerator of medical technology companies and the premier nonprofit startup accelerator in the medical technology industry. To date, MTI alumni have collectively brought over 400 products to market and raised $10 billion in follow-on funding. For more information about BioTools Innovator, visit the website and follow the organization on LinkedIn.
About Model Medicines
Model Medicines is an AI-native biotech company building life-saving drugs from first principles. Its proprietary GALILEO™ platform integrates generative chemistry, multimodal modeling, and novel target discovery to create best-in-class therapeutics across diseases with high unmet need. With a focus on highly conserved, disease-driving targets, the company’s GALILEO™ platform has generated 192 compounds and advanced 67 into disease models across virology, oncology, inflammation, and rare conditions. Model Medicines is redefining the boundaries of drug discovery. Learn more at www.modelmedicines.com.
