Privacy Policy

Scala Biodesign Ltd ("the Company," "we," "us," or "our") operates the Scala protein-engineering platform at scalabiohq.com. We take privacy seriously because our customers entrust us with proprietary protein sequence data, structural models, and research workflows that represent years of scientific effort. This policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have under Israeli law.

1. Database Owner

Scala Biodesign Ltd (Yigal Alon 94, Floor 12, Tel Aviv 6789155, Israel) processes personal information as database owner under the Israeli Privacy Protection Law, 5741-1981 ("PPL") and the applicable Privacy Protection Regulations. For data enquiries, contact us at [email protected].

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in two ways: data you give us directly, and data generated automatically when you use the platform.

Data you provide

• Account information: name, institutional email address, and organisation name when you register or request access to the Scala platform.
• Protein and sequence data: amino acid sequences, structural files (PDB/mmCIF), variant lists, and mutation region annotations that you upload to run thermostability or mutation-landscape predictions. This scientific data is processed solely to generate your requested results. We do not use uploaded sequence data to train or improve our models without your explicit written consent.
• Billing information: subscription tier, payment method details (handled by our payment processor), and invoicing address for Research Lab and Enterprise subscribers.
• Communications: messages you send via the contact form, support requests, and email correspondence with our team.

Data collected automatically

• Usage telemetry: which platform features you use, job submission counts, API call frequency, and error events, used to diagnose issues and improve reliability.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, and session identifiers collected when you access the site.
• Cookies and local storage: see our Cookie Notice for details.

3. Purposes of Processing

The Company uses personal information for the following purposes:

• Delivering the Service: processing your protein sequences and returning prediction results, managing your account, and enabling API access for Research Lab and Enterprise subscribers.
• Platform improvement: aggregated, anonymised usage telemetry helps us prioritise features, fix bugs, and expand the protein family coverage of our stability models.
• Communication: responding to support requests, sending service notifications (e.g., completed job alerts), and, where you have opted in, sharing research updates relevant to protein engineering.
• Billing and legal obligations: processing subscription payments, issuing invoices, and complying with applicable Israeli law.
• Security: detecting and preventing unauthorised access, fraud, and abuse of the platform.

4. Sharing and Cross-Border Transfers

The Company shares personal information only as described below:

• Service providers: cloud infrastructure (compute for prediction jobs), payment processor, and analytics provider, each operating under a written data-processing agreement that limits their use of data to the purposes we specify.
• Legal requirements: when required by Israeli law, court order, or regulatory authority.
• Business transfers: if the Company merges with or is acquired by another entity, personal data may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to a confidentiality undertaking.

Where personal information is transferred outside Israel, the Company takes steps to ensure the transfer complies with the Privacy Protection (Transfer of Data Abroad) Regulations, 5761-2001, including relying on adequacy decisions or contractual safeguards as appropriate.

5. Retention

We retain account data for the duration of your subscription and for six years thereafter for legal and audit purposes. Uploaded protein sequence files and prediction results are retained for up to 24 months after a job completes, after which they are deleted from our systems unless you have downloaded them. Anonymised, aggregated usage telemetry may be retained indefinitely. You may request deletion of your data at any time using the contact details below; we process deletion requests within 30 days.

6. Your Rights under the PPL

Under the Israeli Privacy Protection Law, 5741-1981, you have the following rights with respect to personal information held in our databases:

• The right to inspect information we hold about you and to receive a copy.
• The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• The right to request removal from any database we use for direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, email the Company at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing a request.

7. Security Incidents

The Company maintains technical and organisational security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of protein research data, including access controls, encryption in transit, and regular security reviews. Where notification is required by the Privacy Protection (Data Security) Regulations, 5777-2017, we will report security incidents to the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority and, where required, notify affected data subjects without undue delay.

8. Complaints and Contact

If you believe we have not handled your personal data in accordance with the PPL, you may complain to the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority at gov.il/PPA.

For questions about this policy or to exercise your rights, contact the Company directly:

Scala Biodesign Ltd
Yigal Alon 94, Floor 12
Tel Aviv 6789155, Israel
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972 3 546 8820