EXSCIENTIA
9.4.2021 07:32:05 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Exscientia, a leading artificial intelligence (AI)-driven pharmatech company, today announced the first AI-designed molecule for immuno-oncology to enter human clinical trials. The A2a receptor antagonist, which is in development for adult patients with advanced solid tumours, was co-invented and developed through a Joint Venture between Exscientia and Evotec, including application of Exscientia’s next generation 3-D evolutionary AI-design platform as part of Centaur Chemist® . The drug candidate has potential for best-in-class characteristics, with high selectivity for the target receptor, bringing together potential benefits of reduced systemic sides effects as well as minimal brain exposure to avoid undesired psychological side effects. Preclinical data related to this project will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting to be held 9-14 April, 2021.
With this announcement, the company’s AI technologies and drug-hunting expertise are now responsible for the first two AI-designed drugs to enter Phase I testing, following on from Exscientia’s previous announcement in 2020.1
Andrew Hopkins, CEO of Exscientia said, “Immuno-oncology medicines are bringing benefit to a range of cancer patients. Our selective A2a receptor antagonist addresses a next-generation immuno-oncology strategy to empower the human immune system by reversing the effects of high adenosine concentrations. We set ambitious therapeutic objectives for this project, especially high selectivity for the A2a receptor and central nervous system (CNS) sparing properties, in order to reduce the likelihood of systemic side effects. Even with these challenging objectives, we were able to discover our candidate molecule within 8 months of project initiation.”
Tumour cells produce high levels of adenosine, a molecule that helps them escape immune system detection by binding to the A2a receptor on cancer fighting T-cells, reducing T-cell ability to eliminate disease.2 Exscientia’s AI-designed A2a receptor antagonist is being investigated for its ability to prevent adenosine from binding to the T-cell receptor and potentially promote anti-tumour T-cell activity.
ENDS
About Exscientia
Exscientia is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven pharmatech committed to discovering and designing the best possible medicines in the fastest and most effective manner. Exscientia is the first company to progress AI-designed small molecules into the clinical setting and repeatedly demonstrate the ability of AI to transform the how drugs are created.
Drug design is precision engineering at the molecular scale. Exscientia has built dedicated AI systems that efficiently learn from the widest range of data and consistently reapply enhanced knowledge through iterations of design. Because Exscientia’s AI platform learns more effectively and rapidly than human-led efforts alone, candidate molecules satisfying complex therapeutic requirements are created with revolutionary efficiency. Exscientia believes that designing better drugs, faster, will allow the best ideas of science to rapidly become the best medicines for patients.
For more information visit us on www.exscientia.ai or follow us on Twitter @exscientiaAI .
1 Exscientia. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and Exscientia Joint Development New Drug Candidate Created Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Begins Clinical Trial. Available at: https://www.exscientia.ai/news-insights/sumitomo-dainippon-pharma-and-exscientia-joint-development Last accessed: April 2021.
2 Vigano, S., Alatzoglou, D., Irving, M., Ménétrier-Caux, C., Caux, C., Romero, P. and Coukos, G., 2019. Targeting adenosine in cancer immunotherapy to enhance T-cell function. Frontiers in immunology , 10 , p.925.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210408005918/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
GIGABYTE Showcases Full-Stack AI Infrastructure from Rack-Scale Systems to Real-World Deployment at COMPUTEX 20261.6.2026 12:30:00 CEST | Press release
Following the introduction of its "Future Landing" vision, GIGABYTE Technology, a global leader in high-performance computing and AI infrastructure, brings that vision to life at COMPUTEX 2026 through a comprehensive showcase of systems, software, and real-world deployments that demonstrate how AI infrastructure is built, deployed, and operated at scale. From rack-scale AI factories and modular data centers to Physical AI workflows, clinical AI applications, and on-prem AI agents, GIGABYTE demonstrates how AI infrastructure moves beyond planning and into production. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260525486787/en/ Rack-Scale Infrastructure, Validated for AI Factories At the foundation of “Future Landing” is GIGABYTE’s expanding portfolio of rack-scale AI infrastructure designed for next-generation AI factories. Among the latest highlights is the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72, showcased as part of GIGABYTE’s broader
BeOne Medicines Highlights Accelerating Solid Tumor Pipeline with New Data at ASCO 20261.6.2026 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
Oral and poster presentations span three priority programs in breast, gynecologic, and gastrointestinal cancers, advancing rapidly toward pivotal developmentCompany to host investor webcast showcasing momentum across solid tumor pipeline BeOne Medicines Ltd. (“BeOne”) (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, today announced new data from its solid tumor pipeline being presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (May 29–June 2, Chicago). These data underscore the significant acceleration across the Company’s high-priority breast, gynecologic and gastrointestinal (GI) cancer development programs. Data from three differentiated BeOne pipeline assets will be presented, including: CDK4 inhibitor (BGB-43395) (poster presentation): First disclosure of anti-tumor activity in first-line (1L) HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. B7-H4 ADC (BG‑C9074) (rapid oral presentation): Phase 1 dose-escalation and safety expansion data in adva
Electricity System Transformation Vital to Meet Future Needs, Arthur D. Little Blue Shift Report Finds1.6.2026 11:00:00 CEST | Press release
Arthur D. Little (ADL)’s Blue Shift Institute today published The Future of Electricity - From Building Capacity to Shaping Flexibility. The in-depth new report explores the growing pressures on electricity systems worldwide, and how they must transform to meet radically changing needs. With demand predicted to rise by 40-55% by 2035, it identifies practical strategies for maintaining reliability, affordability, and resilience. Electricity systems face profound challenges due to the accelerating electrification of end uses, increasing renewables deployments, and the digitalization of economies. Rising variability and system stress is already leading to instability, grid congestion, and disruption. Demonstrating this, an April 2025 blackout across the Iberian Peninsula led to at least eight deaths and an estimated US $1.8 billion in economic losses. Based on in-depth research and expert interviews, the report outlines the need to reshape infrastructure and operations to move from supply
Procore Redefines the Common Data Environment with Connected Data and Agentic AI1.6.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
CDE unifies project data, workflows, BIM models, and asset information in one trusted environment—creating the foundation for AI agents to amplify the reach of construction teams Procore is the solution to fragmented data, helping ensure information integrity from approved design to handover Connects the full project lifecycle in one trusted environment with a single source of truth across BIM, Documents, Quality, and Assets Transforms BIM into a live execution workspace via BIM Model Manager, streaming models of any size directly to mobile devices to connect real-time project data with 3D coordination Leverages Procore AI with embedded Datagrid capabilities to turn project data into an actionable foundation, powering agentic AI coworkers that can help automate construction workflows and execute work directly within the platform Procore Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: PCOR), the leading global provider of construction management software, today announced the launch of its connected Common Da
AI Investment Boom Across the UK is Fuelled More by Fear of Missing out Than Actual Results, According to Expereo1.6.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
Enterprises are investing aggressively in AI to avoid being left behind – but less than a quarter say AI implementations have exceeded expectations, often due to inadequate networks Enterprise AI spending is climbing rapidly, with boards racing to deploy the technology faster than they can measure whether it works. According to the latest IDC InfoBrief, commissioned by Expereo*, around 70% of organizations are investing in AI, motivated by its potential or by the fear of falling behind the competition, but they lag in disciplined ROI evaluation, and one in five (20%) admit they are investing aggressively in AI with little evaluation, driven by the fear of being left behind. The IDC InfoBrief, based on a survey of 800 technology leaders across Europe, the US, and APAC, found that AI has become one of the most prioritized technology investments globally. When asked which technologies their organization will prioritize in terms of effort and/or financial investment over the next 12 months
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom