MedPath

Tagged News

OutSee Secures £1.8M Seed Funding to Advance AI-Powered Genomics Platform for Drug Discovery

AIDrug Discovery
  • Cambridge-based OutSee raised £1.8M in seed funding led by Ahren Innovation Capital to advance its proprietary AI platform Nomaly for predictive genomics drug discovery.
  • The company's Nomaly technology uses hypothesis-free modeling to predict disease and phenotype directly from single genomes, enabling target discovery from smaller datasets previously considered too complex to interpret.
  • OutSee plans to expand its in-house target pipeline focusing on CNS disorders, rare diseases, and metabolic conditions while establishing partnerships with major pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
  • The funding builds on over £500K in Innovate UK grants and partnerships with Genomics England and FinnGen, positioning the company to transform therapeutic target identification.

Bayer Extends 16-Year Research Partnership with Tsinghua University for Three More Years

Drug DiscoveryOncology
  • Bayer and Tsinghua University have extended their strategic research collaboration by three additional years, building on a 16-year partnership that has produced over 70 joint research projects and more than 10 publications in top international journals.
  • The extended agreement focuses on joint research targeting oncology, cardiovascular and renal diseases, neurology, rare diseases, and immunology, reinforcing Bayer's commitment to healthcare innovation in China's rapidly evolving pharmaceutical market.
  • The partnership has established a benchmark for collaboration between multinational pharmaceutical companies and Chinese academic institutions, with Bayer conducting more than 80% of its major multi-center clinical trials in China.
  • Bayer's broader China strategy includes two global R&D centers, four production facilities, and the recent launch of Bayer Co.Lab China, which aims to incubate 10-15 biotech startups focusing on cutting-edge therapeutic innovations.

Axcelead DDP and Superluminal Expand Partnership to Target Challenging Biological Mechanisms

Drug Discovery
  • Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners and Superluminal Medicines announced their intent to collaborate on drug discovery targeting specific molecular mechanisms associated with challenging biological targets.
  • The partnership builds on previous successful collaborations including in vivo pharmacological evaluations and predictive ADME modeling that resulted in shared computational models.
  • The collaboration will combine Axcelead DDP's comprehensive drug discovery platform with Superluminal's AI/ML and structure-based drug design capabilities to accelerate small-molecule therapeutic development.
  • The joint effort aims to address multiple defined molecular targets with high unmet medical needs using integrated computational and experimental approaches.

Penn Researchers Transform Deadly Aspergillus Fungus into Potent Anti-Leukemia Drug

Drug Discovery
  • Penn-led researchers have successfully isolated and modified a new class of ribosomally synthesized peptides (RiPPs) from Aspergillus flavus, a historically toxic fungus, creating promising anti-cancer compounds called asperigimycins.
  • The modified asperigimycins demonstrated comparable efficacy to FDA-approved leukemia drugs cytarabine and daunorubicin in laboratory tests, specifically targeting leukemia cells while sparing other cancer types.
  • The compounds work by disrupting microtubule formation essential for cell division, and researchers identified the SLC46A3 gene as critical for cellular uptake, opening new pathways for cyclic peptide drug development.
  • This breakthrough represents a novel approach to natural product drug discovery, with similar gene clusters identified in other fungi suggesting vast untapped potential for future therapeutics.

XtalPi Secures $100 Million Partnership with Harvard's Gregory Verdine to Advance AI-Driven Drug Discovery

AIDrug Discovery
  • XtalPi has signed a Letter of Intent with DoveTree LLC, founded by Harvard Professor Gregory Verdine, for a collaboration worth $100 million upfront plus potential milestone payments exceeding $10 billion.
  • The partnership will leverage XtalPi's AI and robotics-driven platform to discover small molecule and antibody drug candidates targeting oncology, autoimmune disorders, and neurological diseases.
  • Professor Verdine brings extensive drug development expertise, having co-founded over ten biotechnology companies and spearheaded three FDA-approved therapeutics including romidepsin, paritaprevir, and glecaprevir.
  • DoveTree will obtain exclusive global development and commercialization rights to resulting therapeutics, while XtalPi is eligible for tiered royalties on net product sales.

SandboxAQ Releases 5.2 Million Synthetic Molecules Dataset to Accelerate AI-Driven Drug Discovery

AIDrug Discovery
  • SandboxAQ, an AI startup spun out from Google and backed by Nvidia, has released a dataset of 5.2 million synthetic three-dimensional molecules to accelerate drug discovery processes.
  • The synthetic molecules were generated using Nvidia's chips and are designed to help scientists predict drug-protein binding interactions, a critical step in pharmaceutical development.
  • The publicly available dataset combines traditional scientific computing with AI advancements to train models that can virtually replicate lab experiments and predict molecular binding in a fraction of the time.
  • SandboxAQ plans to commercialize AI models developed with this data, aiming to provide results that rival actual laboratory experiments but through virtual simulation.

NEC and Chugai Pharmaceutical Develop AI System to Accelerate Cancer Drug Combination Discovery

AIDrug Discovery
  • NEC Corporation and Chugai Pharmaceutical have successfully tested an AI system that can predict effective cancer drug combinations, potentially reducing prediction time by approximately 50% compared to conventional methods.
  • The graph-based AI technology leverages biochemical information and clinical trial data from AACT and ChEMBL databases to quickly suggest candidate drug combinations that could enhance cancer treatment efficacy.
  • In experimental validation using approximately 400 cancer drug combinations, the system demonstrated accurate predictions with highly convincing rationales, showing potential to streamline drug discovery processes.
  • The technology addresses the time-consuming manual research traditionally required for drug combination therapy development, which involves analyzing vast amounts of publications and clinical trial data.

BioAge Labs Partners with Norwegian Biobank to Accelerate Aging-Related Drug Discovery

Drug Discovery
  • BioAge Labs announced a collaboration with Age Labs AS to analyze over 17,000 samples from Norway's HUNT Biobank, generating millions of molecular readouts to identify novel therapeutic targets for aging-related diseases.
  • The partnership will profile samples from 6,000+ participants collected over decades, focusing on those who transitioned from health to cardiometabolic disease, cognitive decline, or other chronic conditions.
  • The molecular profiling data will integrate with BioAge's existing discovery platform containing over 50 million molecular measurements collected over five decades to accelerate drug target identification.
  • BioAge's lead candidate BGE-102, an NLRP3 inhibitor for obesity, is planned for IND submission and Phase 1 trials in mid-2025.

Isomorphic Labs Appoints Dr. Ben Wolf as Chief Medical Officer, Establishes US Operations

AIDrug Discovery
  • Isomorphic Labs, the AI-first drug discovery company, has appointed Dr. Ben Wolf as Chief Medical Officer to lead translation of AI-driven discoveries into clinical medicines.
  • Dr. Wolf brings nearly 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience, including expertise in precision oncology and advancing therapeutics from discovery through regulatory approval.
  • The company has established a new US presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following a $600 million external investment round earlier this year.
  • The appointment positions Isomorphic Labs to advance its AI drug design engine across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities into clinical development.

Axcelead and A2 Healthcare Form Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Drug R&D in Japan

Drug Discovery
  • Axcelead and A2 Healthcare announced a strategic partnership to establish an integrated support framework covering drug discovery, non-clinical studies, clinical trials, regulatory submissions, and manufacturing in Japan.
  • The collaboration combines Axcelead's drug discovery services and mRNA CDMO capabilities with A2 Healthcare's clinical development expertise to address drug loss and strengthen Japan's pharmaceutical R&D ecosystem.
  • The partnership will provide comprehensive support to academia, biotech ventures, and pharmaceutical companies from Japan and abroad advancing drug development in the Japanese market.
  • A2 Healthcare's J-STEP initiative and Boston office expansion complement the alliance's goal of enhancing Japan's drug discovery capabilities and facilitating international pharmaceutical market entry.

MedPath

Empowering clinical research with data-driven insights and AI-powered tools.

© 2025 MedPath, Inc. All rights reserved.