What Origin does
Origin applies AI and data to cancer and other diseases by designing regulatory DNA that controls how therapeutic genes are expressed. Its goal is to make cell and gene therapies safer by programming precise gene expression patterns in disease cells, controlling where and how strongly therapeutic genes turn on.
Key capabilities
Origin's model, called Axis, is trained to design and screen regulatory DNA such as promoters and enhancers to activate therapeutic genes in targeted disease cell states, and can rapidly sample large numbers of functional candidate sequences. The company tests these sequences in the lab to build a proprietary dataset of synthetic regulatory elements, measuring their interaction with transcription factors and the resulting effects on gene expression.
Who it's for
Origin serves cell and gene therapy development for cancer and other diseases, working at the intersection of AI and biology. Founded in 2025 and based in San Francisco, it is part of Y Combinator's Winter 2026 batch.