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 UK-based AI drug discovery company BenevolentAI and Exscientia have entered into strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical company Merck to identify and develop new compounds against three targets provided by Merck through hit identification to the pre-clinical stage.
 
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 The collaboration will allow Merck to leverage BenevolentAI's AI platform and team to identify and develop novel compounds for drug development, initially targeting oncology, neurology, and immunology. BenevolentAI will use its AI chemistry design tools and wet lab facility to deliver small molecule drug development candidates into the Merck pipeline.
 
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 Through the partnership, BenevolentAI will receive upfront and milestone payments of up to USD 594 million and royalties on net sales of any commercialized products.&nbsp;
 
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 In addition, Merck will also combine Exscientia's AI-driven precision drug design capabilities with its own disease expertise in oncology and neuroinflammation for the discovery of novel small molecule drug candidates.&nbsp;
 
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 Exscientia will receive an upfront cash payment of USD 20 million and is eligible for milestone payments of up to USD 674 million in discovery, development, regulatory, and sales-based milestones for three projects, in addition to single- to double-digit royalty payments on net sales.
 
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 <a href="https://www.merckgroup.com/en/news/two-ai-partnerships-in-healthcare-20-09-2023.html">
 Company Press Release - Merck
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 <a href="https://investors.exscientia.ai/press-releases/press-release-details/2023/Exscientia-Announces-AI-Drug-Discovery-Collaboration-with-Merck-KGaA-Darmstadt-Germany/default.aspx">
 Company Press Release - Exscientia
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 <a href="https://www.benevolent.com/news-and-media/press-releases-and-in-media/benevolentai-signs-strategic-collaboration-merck/">
 Company Press Release - BenevolentAI
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 <a href="https://european-biotechnology.com/up-to-date/latest-news/news/benevolentai-ltd-inks-us594m-partnership-with-merck-kgaa.html">
 European Biotechnology
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Precision Medicine

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AI drug discovery companies BenevolentAI and Exscientia have partnered with pharmaceutical company Merck to identify and develop new compounds for drug development. BenevolentAI will use its AI platform and chemistry design tools to deliver small molecule drug development candidates for Merck, with upfront and milestone payments of up to $594 million and royalties on any commercialized products. Exscientia will combine its AI-driven precision drug design capabilities with Merck’s disease expertise in oncology and neuroinflammation, receiving an upfront payment of $20 million and potential milestone payments of up to $674 million, as well as royalty payments on net sales.

Merck enters into drug discovery partnerships with BenevolentAI and Exscientia

Dante Genomics and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are collaborating to bring generative AI (GenAI) to the clinical care of patients with genomic diseases. The partnership will use AWS' Amazon Bedrock platform to build large language models (LLMs) for clinical genomics. The goal is to use genomic data in personalized medicine by analyzing genomic reports to identify related genetic conditions and extract phenotypes of interest. Dante Genomics is a genomics information company based in Italy that focuses on whole genome sequencing and software utilization. This collaboration aims to improve patient outcomes, advance diagnostic capabilities, and enable personalized medicine.

Dante Genomics and AWS collaborate to launch GenAI platform for precision medicine and clinical genomics

Precision oncology company Kinnate Biopharma is undergoing a workforce restructuring plan that will result in a reduction of about 70% of its employees, downsizing to 28 full-time workers. The company will also separate from its Chinese subsidiary, Kinnjiu Biopharma. This restructuring is aimed at extending the company's cash reserves until at least the second quarter of 2026. Kinnate has also announced a reprioritization plan, focusing on the development of specific doses for the combination drug exarafenib, filing an IND application for KIN-8741, and selecting a candidate for its CDK4 program. Development for other drugs will be paused while exploring strategic alternatives.

Kinnate Biopharma lays off ~70% of employees; reviews development pipeline

Deep Genomics has appointed Brian O'Callaghan as its new CEO and member of the board of directors, replacing Brendan Frey, who will now become the chief innovation officer. Chip Baird has been named as the new chair of the board. O'Callaghan's appointment is part of the company's plan to transform into a biopharmaceutical company. He will focus on executing plans and developing assets for R&D partnerships. O'Callaghan brings over 30 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, while Frey is a pioneer in AI and will continue to advance the company's mission of decoding RNA biology.

Deep Genomics appoints Brian O’Callaghan as CEO

Neumora Therapeutics raises USD 250 million in IPO

Exact Sciences Corporation has announced its acquisition of Resolution Bioscience, a next-generation sequencing company, from Agilent Technologies. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Resolution Bioscience was acquired by Agilent in 2021 for $695 million. The acquisition will enable Exact Sciences to incorporate Resolution Bioscience's liquid therapy selection platform into its existing portfolio, offering a more comprehensive cancer treatment solution. This acquisition supports Exact Sciences' objective of developing solutions for all stages of cancer care, giving patients and healthcare providers clear and actionable genomic insights to guide prognosis and treatment choices.

Exact Sciences to acquire Resolution Bioscience from Agilent Technologies

DalCor Pharmaceuticals has raised $80 million in a Series D funding round led by Fonds de Développement Économique. The funding will be used to conduct the Dal-GenE-2 trial, a Phase III study to evaluate dalcetrapib's potential treatment for reducing the occurrence of myocardial infarction. The trial is expected to start in Q3 2023 and be completed by 2027. DalCor Pharmaceuticals is a precision medicine drug development company focused on cardiovascular disease. Their lead product, dalcetrapib, aims to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction in specific genetic subsets of patients. The company's previous trial, dal-GenE, demonstrated positive results in reducing myocardial infarction in certain patient groups.

DalCor Pharmaceuticals raises USD 80 million in Series D funding

Greenstone Biosciences has received a $2.75 million SBIR award from the National Institute of Health, bringing their total funding to $14.3 million. The funding will be used to further develop their solution for early cardiotoxicity detection and leverage pharmacogenomics and precision medicine platforms. The company uses clinical genomics, computational biology, and induced pluripotent stem cells to enhance knowledge in pharmacogenomics and expedite drug discovery. They have developed a platform with 100 unique human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte lines to predict drug toxicity, especially in patient groups at risk of adverse events.

Greenstone Biosciences receives grant of USD 2.75 million

Mission Bio has introduced the Tapestri Genome Editing Solution, a groundbreaking product that enables the analysis of genome editing. This platform allows researchers to study gene-edited drug products and determine on- and off-target editing, the zygosity of edits, and the co-editing of multiple targets within single cells. It also supports multi-omic analysis, allowing for the simultaneous measurement of editing and cell-surface protein expression in the same cells. This solution provides a comprehensive and advanced way for scientists to analyze and understand the effects of genome editing.

Mission Bio launches genome-editing solution for deeper analysis

Biotech company Arialys Therapeutics has raised $58 million in seed funding to further develop precision medicines for autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders. The funds, co-led by Avalon BioVentures, Catalys Pacific, and MPM BioImpact, and with participation from Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Alexandria Venture Investments, will be used to advance the development of medicines that target pathogenic autoantibodies in the central nervous system (CNS). The company's lead therapeutic, ART5803, has received orphan drug designation from the FDA and is designed to treat autoimmune encephalitis by blocking NMDAR autoantibodies. Arialys Therapeutics is headquartered in Avalon BioVentures.

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