AskBio

Durham, United States Founded: 2001 • Age: 25 yrs Acquired By Bayer
Gene and protein therapies are developed for treating various diseases.

About AskBio

AskBio is a Healthcare company based in Durham (United States) founded in 2001 by Jude Samulski and Sheila Mikhail, and was acquired by Bayer in October 2020. Gene and protein therapies are developed for treating various diseases. AskBio has raised $235 million across 8 funding rounds from investors including Bayer, TPG and HHS. AskBio has completed 2 acquisitions, including Brain Vectis and Synpromics. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Sheila Mikhail. Its website askbio.com draws about 14 thousand monthly visits. AskBio offers products and services including AAV Gene Therapy Platform and Discovery Program. Its focus areas include Life Sciences, Neurology, Drugs and Diversified. Its legal entity is SYNPROMICS LTD. Its competitors include Spark Therapeutics, Amyris and Biogen; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.

Company details

AskBio was founded in 2001 in Durham, United States, and operates in the biotechnology sector. Novel protein and cellular-based therapies are developed and delivered using a proprietary platform of recombinant adeno-associated virus biological nanoparticles. This technology enables high transduction efficiency, controlled expression, and targeted tissue delivery. The product pipeline encompasses treatments for muscular dystrophy, hemophilia B in Phase 1 trials, congestive heart failure, epilepsy, retinitis pigmentosa, and osteoporosis.

  • Headquarters Durham, United States
  • Founders Jude Samulski, Sheila Mikhail
  • Stage Acquired
  • Sectors
    Healthcare
  • Website category Health · Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals
  • Phone
    •••• ••••
  • Website askbio.com
  • Social LinkedIn X Facebook YouTube
  • Acquired by Bayer (Oct 2020)
  • Legal Name Synpromics Ltd
Key Metrics
  • Total Equity Funding
    $235M (USD)

    in 8 rounds

  • Latest Funding Round
    $2.68M (USD), Grant

    Sep 2020

  • Investors
    Bayer

    & 4 more

  • Investments & Acquisitions
  • Acquired by
    Bayer

    (Oct 2020)

Products & Services of AskBio

AskBio offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including AAV Gene Therapy Platform and Discovery Program.

AAV Gene Therapy Platform
Gene Therapy Technology

Platform for developing treatments targeting genetic diseases using AAV vectors.

Discovery Program
Research Collaboration

Program enabling partnerships for advancing gene therapy innovations.

Apps and channels of AskBio

its YouTube channel AskBio Inc. has 86 subscribers and 7 videos.

AskBio Inc.
YouTube 86 subscribers 7 videos Science & Technology
Open channel

Videos from AskBio

The most watched videos on AskBio's YouTube channel, AskBio Inc. (86 subscribers). Click a video to play it here.

The DNA for strength and courage as rare as the disease itself
447 views
Living with Parkinson's - Paul
51 views
About LGMD
50 views
Living with MSA - Mike
9 views

More on AskBio Inc..

Funding Insights of AskBio

AskBio has successfully raised a total of $235M across 8 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Grant round of $2.68 million completed in September 2020. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.

  • Total Funding $235M
  • Total Rounds 8
  • Last Round Grant — $2.68M
  • First Round $283,690

    (Sep 2008)

  • Investors Count 4

All 8 funding rounds of AskBio with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.

DateAmountTransaction NameValuationLead InvestorsInvestors
Sep 2020$2.68MGrant––
Apr 2019$235MPrivate Equity Round–Vida Ventures, TPG
–
Aug 2014$270,008Grant––
Sep 2010$320,999Grant––
Jun 2010$3MGrant––
Jul 2009$283,690Grant––
Sep 2008$604,689Grant––
Sep 2008$283,690Grant––
Valuation history

5 investors in total: 5 institutional.

Investors in AskBio

AskBio has secured backing from 5 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Bayer, TPG and HHS.

All
Venture Fund
Institutional
InvestorDescriptionFounded YearDomainLocation
Biomedical innovations are transformed into therapies by Vida Ventures.
vidaventures.comBoston, United States
Fund of funds focused on pre-seed and seed-stage companies
1992tpg.comFort Worth, United States
Business development and leadership training programs are offered to companies.
1991scottish-enterprise.comGlasgow, United Kingdom
Public health and human services are overseen by HHS.
1953hhs.gov
Life science solutions for healthcare and agriculture are delivered.
1863bayer.comLeverkusen, Germany
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Investor details for AskBio

The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.

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  • Round participation
  • Investor portfolios
  • Co-investor network

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People of AskBio

133 people are tracked at AskBio (74 in leadership, 3 in board & advisors, 56 in team).

NameRoleGroup
Jude Samulski
Co-Founder & CSOLeadership
Sheila Mikhail
Co-Founder & CEOLeadership
Kathleen Ward
Director Program ManagementLeadership
Jörg Votteler
DirectorLeadership
Brad Kennedy
Senior DirectorLeadership
Franky Choi
Director, IT PMOLeadership
Christian Schell
Director, Quality Assurance - Product QualityLeadership
Candace Summerford
Chief Patent OfficerLeadership
Matt Fortier
Director, HRBPLeadership
Michael Wisniewski
VP BiostatisticsLeadership
Marlina Nasution
Director, BiostatisticsLeadership
Pamela Bahm
Director, GMP SupplyLeadership
Amanda Lowder
Executive Assistant To Chief Executive OfficerLeadership
Andrea Rossi Moore
Vice President, Analytical Development And Quality ControlLeadership
Jacob Smith
Vice President, Process Development & ManufacturingLeadership
Jenny Siferd
Director Of Talent AttractionLeadership
Dylo Lisa Ratliff
Executive Assistant To Chief Technical OfficerLeadership
Justin Whiteman
Director Pre-clinical ManufacturingLeadership
William D.
Director, IT OperationsLeadership
Siewhui Low
Director, Clinical DevelopmentLeadership

113 more people are available in the full profile.

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Complete people profiles for AskBio

Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.

  • Full employee list
  • Team structure
  • Board tenure
  • Professional contacts

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Investments & Acquisitions by AskBio

AskBio has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include Brain Vectis and Synpromics.

Acquisitions
Company NameDescriptionDomainLocationFoundedAcquiredAmount
Developer of gene therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease
brainvectis.comParis, France2015Apr 2020••••
Synthetic promoters are designed for specific gene regulation.
synpromics.comEdinburgh, United Kingdom2010Aug 2019••••
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Complete acquisition details for AskBio

Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.

  • Acquired stakes
  • Deal sources
  • Complete history
  • Exports

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Timeline of AskBio

6 dated milestones of AskBio across 19 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.

  1. Founded AskBio is founded.
  2. Funding First funding round of $284K.
  3. Acquisition Acquires Synpromics.
  4. Acquisition Acquires Brain Vectis.
  5. Funding Latest funding round, Grant, of $2.7M.
  6. Exit Acquired by Bayer.

Competitors of AskBio

AskBio has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Spark Therapeutics, Amyris and Biogen.

Company NameDomainFoundedHQ LocationTotal fundingEmployeesDescription
sparktx.com2013Philadelphia, United States$82.8M822
Gene therapies for rare diseases including retinal dystrophies are developed.
amyris.com2003Emeryville, United States$487.2M747
Developer of renewable products for industrial solutions
biogen.com1978Cambridge, United States$80M1
Therapies for neurodegenerative and immunology disorders are developed.
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Detailed competitors of AskBio

The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.

  • Full competitor set
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Web traffic of AskBio

The website of AskBio (askbio.com) receives about 14.3K visits a month and ranks #2,158,975 among all websites worldwide, #2,935 in Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals.

  • Monthly visits
    14.3K

    ▲ 39% vs previous month

  • Unique visitors
    4.5K

    per month

  • Global rank
    #2,158,975

    among all websites

  • Category rank
    #2,935

    Health · Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals

Similar websites

Websites whose visitors overlap most with AskBio. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.

WebsiteDomainAudience affinityMonthly visitsGlobal rankProfile
insights.bio
insights.bio
100%
#986,365–
biotechtv.com
biotechtv.com
100%
#1,035,133–
clinicaltrialvanguard.com
clinicaltrialvanguard.com
99%
#1,777,382–
precisionmedicineonline.com
precisionmedicineonline.com
96%
#1,375,745–
pipelinereview.com
pipelinereview.com
93%
–
••••••••••••••••.com••%•.•M#•••••–
••••••••••••••••.com••%•.•M#•••••–
••••••••••••••••.com••%•.•M#•••••–
Premium access

All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for AskBio

The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.

  • 40 similar websites
  • Audience overlap
  • Engagement analytics
  • Traffic by brand

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Top companies in Genomics & Gene Therapy Platforms

3 companies that operate in the same segment as AskBio (Genomics & Gene Therapy Platforms) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.

CompanyDescriptionFoundedLocationTotal fundingRevenueEmployees
mRNA-based therapeutics for diseases including cancer and infections are developed.
2010Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesUSD 2.78 BUSD 1.94 B5,800
Digital sequencing technology for cancer detection is developed.
2012Redwood City, California, United StatesUSD 557.5 MUSD 982.02 M4,867
Circulating tumor DNA is screened for early cancer detection.
2016Menlo Park, California, United StatesUSD 2 BUSD 147.17 M1,141
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Related news about Askbio

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Complete news archive for AskBio

Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions about AskBio

AskBio was founded in 2001 and raised its 1st funding round 7 years after it was founded.

AskBio is headquartered in Durham, United States. It is registered at Durham, North Carolina, United States.

Sheila Mikhail is the CEO of AskBio, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.

AskBio is a funded company, having raised a total of $235M across 8 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Grant of $283.69K, raised on Sep 2008.

AskBio was founded in 2001 in Durham, United States, and operates in the biotechnology sector. Novel protein and cellular-based therapies are developed and delivered using a proprietary platform of recombinant adeno-associated virus biological nanoparticles. This technology enables high transduction efficiency, controlled expression, and targeted tissue delivery. The product pipeline encompasses treatments for muscular dystrophy, hemophilia B in Phase 1 trials, congestive heart failure, epilepsy, retinitis pigmentosa, and osteoporosis.

AskBio's top competitors include Spark Therapeutics, Amyris and Biogen.

AskBio offers AAV Gene Therapy Platform and Discovery Program.

AskBio has made 2 acquisitions, including Brain Vectis, and Synpromics.

AskBio has 5 investors. Key investors include Bayer, TPG, HHS, Scottish Enterprise, and Vida Ventures.

AskBio operates through Synpromics Ltd.

Yes. AskBio was acquired by Bayer in October 2020.

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