Broken String Biosciences and BioLizard Join Forces to Build AI Platform for Safer Gene Editing
New SafeGuide AI tool aims to reduce trial-and-error in gene editing and lower development costs for next-generation therapies
Broken String Biosciences, a pioneer in genomic integrity and gene editing safety, and BioLizard, a leader in bioinformatics and AI-driven data analytics for life sciences, today announced their collaboration to develop SafeGuide—a cutting-edge artificial intelligence tool designed to streamline and improve the safety of gene editing.
The joint initiative aims to dramatically enhance how researchers design and select guide RNAs (gRNAs)—the sequences that direct gene editing tools like CRISPR to their target locations in the genome. The resulting AI-driven platform will allow therapy developers to identify safer, more effective gRNAs with far less reliance on traditional, time-consuming laboratory testing.
Tackling the Bottlenecks of Current Gene Editing Approaches
Today, designing a safe and effective gRNA often requires 1–2 years of wet lab experimentation, resulting in costly trial-and-error processes that can drive therapy development costs into the millions—sometimes exceeding $4 million per patient for gene-edited treatments.
SafeGuide is designed to break this bottleneck. By integrating AI with real-world genomic data, the platform will make it possible to predict the safety and efficacy of gRNAs in silico, significantly accelerating early-stage development and reducing overall research and development costs.
“Our collaboration with BioLizard will set a new benchmark for safety in genome editing,” said Felix Dobbs, CEO at Broken String Biosciences. “By using AI to predict DNA break patterns, we can reduce the need for manual intervention and dramatically improve the speed and precision of therapeutic development.”
Powered by a €935K Eurostars Grant and Strategic Support
The SafeGuide project is supported by a €935,000 grant through the Eurostars-3 program, a prestigious and highly competitive transnational funding initiative. Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by 37 participating countries and the EU’s Horizon Europe program.
Both companies credit the support of Moore Grants & Incentives (MGI) in shaping and refining the project proposal. MGI contributed to both the strategic content and overall vision of the proposal, helping to secure the funding needed to bring SafeGuide to life.
Combining AI with Genomic Data: The Strength of the Partnership
The development of SafeGuide combines the distinct strengths of Broken String and BioLizard:
- Broken String Biosciences brings its INDUCE-seq® platform, a state-of-the-art technology that precisely maps DNA breaks at high sensitivity. It is already used by leading drug developers to detect both on-target edits that drive efficacy and off-target events that pose safety risks.
- BioLizard will lead the development of AI-based predictive models, integrating INDUCE-seq’s breakome data with genomic sequence, structural biology, and machine learning algorithms. This will allow SafeGuide to identify gRNAs with high on-target efficiency and minimal off-target potential—before they are tested in the lab.
“This is a perfect fusion of data-driven genomics and advanced algorithm development,” said Liesbeth Ceelen, CEO at BioLizard. “By building SafeGuide on top of Broken String’s unique ability to characterize DNA breaks, we can reduce the need for exhaustive experimental off-target screening and help speed the path to safer gene-edited therapies.”
SafeGuide: A Tool for the Next Generation of Gene Therapies
SafeGuide represents more than just another optimization tool. It has the potential to transform how gene editing therapies are developed, particularly in the preclinical discovery and design phase.
Unlike conventional trial-and-error approaches that rely heavily on wet lab validation, SafeGuide will allow scientists to:
- Rapidly screen thousands of potential gRNAs for safety and efficacy
- Filter out high-risk designs based on predicted off-target effects
- Prioritize top candidates for lab validation, reducing cost and time
- De-risk therapeutic pipelines by selecting safer starting points
This capability will be especially valuable in therapeutic areas involving complex or sensitive targets, including rare genetic diseases, oncology, and regenerative medicine.
INDUCE-seq and Catalyst Early Access Program
Broken String’s INDUCE-seq® platform has quickly become a gold standard in DNA break detection, offering highly sensitive, genome-wide analysis of both natural and gene-editing-induced breaks. The platform is already widely used by developers of cell and gene therapies to ensure the safety and precision of genome editing tools like CRISPR.
To expand access to this technology, Broken String recently launched the Catalyst Early Access Program, making INDUCE-seq available on-demand to gene therapy developers. With this program, researchers can now conduct high-resolution break detection in their own labs within days, without outsourcing to external providers.
This capability will be tightly integrated into the SafeGuide development process, providing a constant feedback loop to validate AI predictions and continuously refine model performance.
Looking Ahead: A Safer Future for Precision Medicine
As the gene editing field matures, precision and safety are becoming non-negotiable standards. Innovations like SafeGuide are central to meeting these expectations—especially as more therapies move from experimental stages into clinical trials and commercialization.
The partnership between Broken String Biosciences and BioLizard offers a compelling vision of how deep tech, AI, and genomics can converge to solve some of the most pressing challenges in modern drug development.
“With SafeGuide, we’re not just making gene editing faster—we’re making it smarter and safer,” added Dobbs. “This is about bringing transformative therapies to patients with greater confidence and lower risk.”
To learn more about the company, visit www.brokenstringbio.com.
About BioLizard
BioLizard is a leading multi-national bioinformatics, data analytics and data management service and consulting company heading digital transformation in the life sciences industry. Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, BioLizard is the trusted go-to partner for data strategy and execution with companies across the range from drug discovery to clinical research and diagnostics as well as animal health and food & agriculture. BioLizard accommodates a uniquely qualified team of 50+ experts, “The Lizards”, who bring together their expertise and abilities covering data management, software engineering, bioinformatics, advanced data analytics, and AI.
Their joint backgrounds in biology and computer sciences enables them to apply specialist understanding to each client’s data environment, to provide insights and tools that are aligned with the client’s goals and maximize R&D return on investment. With the proprietary Bio|Verse® platform BioLizard takes the next step in providing bespoke software solutions by tailoring its established programs towards specific client needs. For further information, please visit https://lizard.bio/ and follow us on LinkedIn.
