What Profluent does
Profluent is an AI-first protein design company developing generative models intended to “author” new proteins and genome-editing systems for applications including therapeutics and industrial/agricultural enzymes. The company’s platform pairs frontier foundation models with an in-house wet lab to close the loop between design and experimental validation.
In its current product direction, Profluent emphasizes gene editing through its OpenCRISPR initiative, which it describes as an open-source release of an AI-created Cas9-like gene editor (OpenCRISPR-1) and includes synthetic guide RNA designed for its system. It also provides a domain-specific tool, Protein2PAM, positioned as “machine learning prediction of the PAM specificity of CRISPR-Cas nucleases,” and describes using it to customize CRISPR systems.
On the foundation-model side, Profluent has introduced ProGen3 as a frontier suite of generative protein language models for protein design, including generating novel full-length proteins and redesigning protein domains. The company further points to its Protein Atlas resource and, in its latest financing disclosure, states the Protein Atlas comprises “over 115B unique proteins.”
Commercially, Profluent frames its business model around partnerships—combining its models with partner wet-lab capabilities and validation needs—and also discusses asset licensing as a potential engagement mode. In its $106M financing announcement, Profluent also describes commercial relationships across multiple industries including Revvity, Corteva Agrisciences, the Rett Syndrome Research Trust, and Integrated DNA Technologies.