San Francisco,California — [September 25, 2026] — MarWell Bio Inc. today announced that it has been awardeda research contract under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's(DARPA) [Network of Optimal Dynamic Energy Signatures (NODES)] program. As theprime performer, and in collaboration with the Gunner Laboratory at The CityCollege of New York, MarWell Bio is developing advanced computationalcapabilities to support DARPA's objective of predicting protein functiondirectly from amino acid sequence.
Understanding howproteins acquire biological function remains one of the most significantchallenges in modern biology. While recent advances in artificial intelligencehave dramatically improved protein structure prediction, accurately predictinghow protein sequence gives rise to dynamic behavior and biological functionremains one of the next major frontiers in computational biology. Recentpeer-reviewed scientific literature has identified sequence-to-functionprediction as an emerging frontier, emphasizing that realizing this vision willrequire integrating artificial intelligence with molecular biophysics,dynamics, energetics, and mechanistic modeling rather than relying solely onstatic protein structures.
Under the DARPA NODESprogram, MarWell Bio is developing predictive computational technologies thatintegrate artificial intelligence, molecular simulation, protein energetics,and high-performance computing to advance prediction of protein function fromsequence. Through this research contract, the company is expanding itscomputational capabilities while contributing to DARPA's technical objectives.These advances also strengthen MarWell Bio's long-term technology platform forpredictive biology, protein engineering, and therapeutic discovery, with thepotential to accelerate the engineering of next-generation biologics and otherprotein-based medicines.
"Being awarded aDARPA NODES research contract represents an important milestone for MarWell Bioand provides an opportunity to contribute to one of the defining scientificchallenges in computational biology," said Dr. Zara Hemmatian,Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MarWell Bio. "Webelieve that sequence-to-function prediction represents one of the definingscientific frontiers of our time. Across the biotechnology industry, it isbecoming increasingly clear that artificial intelligence alone cannot fullyaddress the complexity of biology. Our vision has always been to integrate AIwith first-principles scientific modeling, molecular simulation, andexperimental validation to create predictive technologies capable oftransforming how proteins are understood, engineered, and ultimately translatedinto future biomedical and biotechnology applications."
MarWell Bio iscollaborating with the Gunner Laboratory at The City College of New York, whichcontributes expertise in protein electrostatics, biomolecular energetics, andcomputational modeling to the project.
"This work extendsbeyond a single research program," added Dr. Hemmatian. "AtMarWell, we are building an integrated technology platform for predictivebiology that continuously learns from the interplay between computation andexperimental validation. The knowledge and computational frameworks advancedthrough this effort have the potential to accelerate protein engineering, drugdiscovery, and precision medicine for years to come. We believe thatinvestments in foundational technologies today will help shape the nextgeneration of medicines tomorrow."
About MarWell Bio
MarWell Bio is abiotechnology company building an integrated technology platform for predictivebiology, protein engineering, and therapeutic discovery. By combiningartificial intelligence, first-principles scientific modeling, molecularsimulation, and experimental validation, the company develops predictivetechnologies that accelerate the discovery and optimization of innovativebiologics and precision medicines while helping bridge computation and biology.
About Gunner Laboratory
The Gunner Laboratoryat The City College of New York develops computational methods for studyingprotein electrostatics, protonation states, pH-dependent behavior, andbiomolecular energy landscapes. The laboratory contributes expertise inbiomolecular energetics and computational modeling to the DARPA NODES project.
Disclaimer: This material isbased upon work supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressedherein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views ofDARPA, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.