French-founded biotech Epigene Labs is steadily gaining traction in the competitive field of precision oncology, thanks to a platform-first approach that combines AI, epigenomics and multi-institution collaboration.
Headquartered in Paris with operations in the United States, the company has developed a proprietary engine called mCUBE, which it describes as a real-time drug target and biomarker discovery platform. The system integrates epigenetic, transcriptomic and clinical data to identify patient-specific signatures and prioritise druggable mechanisms across cancer types.
Co-founded by French physician-scientist Akpeli Nordor and life sciences entrepreneur Arthur de Garidel-Thoron, Epigene is part of a new wave of biotech companies that see AI not simply as a tool for acceleration, but as the core architecture for innovation in oncology.
The company is collaborating with prominent research institutions, including Institut Curie in France and UCSF in the United States. Its partnership model spans early research, clinical validation, and preclinical therapeutic development. Rather than focus on a single therapeutic asset, Epigene positions itself as a discovery engine, with plans to either out-license programmes or co-develop with pharma partners.
Though the company has remained relatively quiet on financing, industry observers have noted its recent expansion in hiring and its increasing visibility at international oncology and AI drug discovery events. It is also part of a growing French AI-biotech ecosystem that includes players such as Owkin, Iktos and Bioptimus.
In a market dominated by US-based techbio companies, Epigene’s hybrid structure and research-driven partnerships give it a distinctive European-American profile. It is aiming not just to discover faster, but to bring biological nuance back into drug development by focusing on the epigenetic changes that drive cancer progression and resistance.
As AI in drug discovery continues to attract investor attention, Epigene’s scientific foundations and data partnerships may prove to be a strategic differentiator in an increasingly crowded space.