AMPLY secures funding to discover oncology targets using AI and multi‑omic data
This article covers AMPLY Discovery, a biotech startup spun out of Queen’s University Belfast, which has closed a growth funding round after securing a strategic investment from Keeps Biomed and has appointed Dr Oliver Rausch as chief scientific officer. The development aims to advance AMPLY’s AI-led, partner-focused oncology target discovery and to support generation of licensable discovery programmes that could attract industry partners and investors in the UK biotech startup ecosystem.
AMPLY Discovery, a biotech startup spun out of Queen’s University Belfast, has closed a growth funding round after securing a strategic investment from Keeps Biomed, a subsidiary of South Korean specialist biotech company Keeps Biopharma. The deal includes an agreement to explore collaboration opportunities in oncology and coincides with the appointment of Dr Oliver Rausch as AMPLY’s chief scientific officer.
Why it matters
The backing from a corporate investor gives AMPLY an industry validation point for its AI-led discovery approach at a time when partnerships and data-driven target discovery are increasingly important in drug development. AMPLY’s approach—combining computational mining of multi-omic datasets with iterative laboratory validation—aims to produce licensable discovery programmes rather than advancing a single internal drug candidate. That partner-focused model can shorten routes to commercial deals for UK biotech startups and attract interest from biotech investors looking for de-risked assets.
Inside the product
AMPLY applies artificial intelligence to multi-omic data to uncover disease-relevant signals, including non-coding genomic regions that are often overlooked. The company pairs these computational outputs with laboratory testing to validate targets and prioritise programmes. AMPLY describes its model as a portfolio approach that generates multiple discovery programmes in areas of high unmet need, with the intention of reaching defined value-creation milestones that make assets attractive for licensing or partnering.
Who are the investors?
Keeps Biomed, the strategic investor named in the announcement, is a subsidiary of South Korea’s Keeps Biopharma. The investment is presented as strategic rather than a purely financial round and is explicitly linked to an agreement to explore joint oncology work. No other investors were named in the release.
In the announcement, Ha Young Kim, CEO of Keeps Biomed, said:
We see significant opportunity in applying advanced AI-enabled discovery approaches to build a differentiated oncology pipeline. AMPLY’s platform and team align strongly with our strategic direction, and we look forward to developing collaboration opportunities in oncology.
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Founder perspective
The company framed the deal as an endorsement of its partner-oriented model and its oncology focus. The announcement also introduced Dr Oliver Rausch as CSO; he joins from Storm Therapeutics and brings experience in RNA biology and oncology drug discovery intended to accelerate target validation and portfolio progression.
In the announcement, Ben Thomas, Co-founder & CEO at AMPLY Discovery, said:
This strategic investment is an important endorsement of AMPLY’s platform and our approach to oncology. We’re building a company designed for partnering - generating high-quality, data-driven programmes and taking them to clear inflection points. We’re delighted to welcome Keeps Biomed as a strategic investor, and to bring Oliver on board as CSO to help sharpen our oncology execution and partnering readiness.
In the announcement, Oliver Rausch, CSO at AMPLY Discovery, said:
AMPLY’s platform integrates cutting-edge biological insights and experimental validation - exactly what’s needed to translate computational discovery into credible therapeutic programmes. I’m excited to join the team and help drive oncology programmes towards the kind of robust datasets and development plans that partners and investors expect.
The bigger picture
The deal sits at the intersection of several trends in UK and European biotech: greater use of AI in target discovery, portfolio-based discovery companies that aim to generate licensable assets, and growing cross-border strategic partnerships with Asian biopharma groups. AMPLY’s Queen’s University Belfast origins also underline the ongoing role of university spinouts in supplying novel approaches and talent to the sector.
This investment and leadership hire underscore how UK biotech startups are positioning themselves for partnering and licensing rather than solely internal development — a model that could shape how venture and corporate capital is deployed across the European drug discovery landscape.
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