<ul><li>California-based AI drug discovery company PostEra has received USD 68 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—via the ​​National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)—in initial funding, as part of a multi-year collaboration, to develop novel antiviral therapeutics to curb future pandemics. The funding is a part of a USD 577 million NIH grant awarded to establish nine antiviral-targeted centers.</ul>

• PostEra, together with not-for-profit R&D organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will establish the “​​AI-driven Structure-Enabled Antiviral Platform (ASAP)” consortium.

• The consortium will leverage PostEra’s AI-powered drug discovery platform to develop antiviral compounds across a variety of viruses including flaviviruses, picornaviruses, and coronaviruses. It will also develop three investigational new drug (IND)-ready candidates that can immediately enter clinical trials if and when there is a viral outbreak.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered the need for antiviral therapeutics in the recent past, resulting in funds directed toward AI-powered technologies to accelerate the process. Just last month, UK-based AI drug discovery company BenevolentAI partnered with the DNDi to develop therapies to combat dengue, and in September 2021, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation entered into a four-year collaboration with Exscientia, investing up to USD 70 million to prepare for future pandemics.</ul>