Our Science
The Violet Engine revolutionizes drug discovery by creating detailed 3D maps of disease biology, paving the way for next generation drug development.
Current technology focuses on single cells in isolation or small tissue sections, but that’s not how nature works. Cells are constantly communicating to maintain health and dysfunctional communication drives disease.
At scale, the C-to-C Engine can identify and map thousands (or even millions) of cell-to-cell interactions in 3-dimensions from a broad set of samples types that underlie both normal physiology and pathological functions of human health. The technology can be applied to brain, spinal chord, lung, liver, gut, skin, tumors, and other tissue types. Violet’s platform uses C-to-C Communication Maps to identify and validate novel targets and enable rapid drug discovery programs. The C-to-C Communication Map was originally developed by Violet’s founder, Francisco Quintana, Professor of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Micheal Wheeler, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
The C-to-C Engine creates C-to-C Communication Maps to drive target ID and enabledrug discovery programs.
EphB3 inhibitors have potential to reduce microglia astrocyte inflammation and improve cognition and synaptic health in neurodegenerative disease.
The first target to emerge from the C-to-C Engine is EphB3 — a receptor tyrosine kinase that mediates microgliaastrocyte interactions to drive neuroinflammation.
While EphB3 has been described for its involvement in axon guidance in developmental aspects of CNS function, it was not until the full interactome of a neuroinflammatory cascade was identified by the C-to-C Engine that the target was recognized for its role in pathology.
Looking towards 2025, Violet is focused on advancing their EphB3 inhibitor for neuroinflammatory disease treatment thru in vivo POC and into preclinical development with IND planned in mid-2026.
“Studies in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease…have suggested that inflammation is not only a result of neurodegeneration but also a crucial player in this process.”
Zhang W, Xiao D, Mao Q, Xia H
Role of inflammation in neurodegeneration development
Violet’s C-to-C Engine maps cellular communication at scale and exploits
C-to-C Communication Maps for rapid identification and prosecution of new targets.
C-to-C Communication Maps for rapid identification and prosecution of new targets.
“Dysfunctional communication between cells is a central driver of neurodegeneration but it is challenging to study in intact living systems. C-to-C Communication Maps are a new way to decode the language that cell types use to interact, which can reveal new therapeutic targets.”
Michael Wheeler
Co-Inventor of C-to-C Communication Maps
Our C-to-C Engine starts with the C-to-C Communication Maps and then uses this rich dataset to drive our Cell-to-Cell Communication Drug Discovery programs rapidly forward. The technology can be used in multiple indications including diseases of the CNS, lung, liver, GI, and skin as well as cancer.
Looking forward, Violet will continue expansion of the C-to-C Engine to a broader set of indications and pathologies beyond the CNS. We are creating deep and rich datasets in cell-to-cell communication that will allow rapid progress to the clinic in the right patients with the right targets.
Published Articles & Press Releases
A piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and one billion synapses.
11 Fun Facts About Your Brain | Northwestern Medicine
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