Iktos

Paris-based Iktos is an AI drug design company specializing in deep-learning-based de novo drug design via proprietary algorithms. It supports molecule generation through deep learning generative models, IT infrastructure on-demand, and virtual drug designing.

The company has two product offerings: Makya, an AI-driven de novo design platform focused on multi-parametric optimization; and Spaya, a synthesis planning software that uses AI to discover and prioritize synthetic routes. The company boasts that Makya is user-friendly, allowing medicinal and computational chemists to easily conduct drug design experiments.

In July 2024, Iktos acquired AI and high-content cell imaging-based drug developer Synsight for an undisclosed amount. The company planned to integrate Synsight's MT Bench technology with Iktos Robotics, its AI-driven robotic synthesis platform.

Key customers and partnerships

Founded in 2016, Iktos is currently collaborating with large pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen, Merck KGaA, Pfizer, Chiesi Group, Astrogen, and most recently, Ono Pharmaceuticals (in March 2022), to help accelerate drug design and discovery by offering its technologies as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform.

In June 2024, Iktos entered into a collaboration with global pharmaceutical company Italfarmaco to develop next-generation histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors for a range of diseases using Iktos' AI-powered drug discovery platforms, Makya and Spaya, and Italfarmaco’s experience in epigenetics.