EXSCIENTIA
8.7.2021 10:02:52 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Exscientia has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Philanthropy Partners, as part of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator. This is to expedite the optimisation of a new class of COVID-19 therapeutics created using its artificial intelligence (AI) drug design platform. Exscientia has demonstrated proof-of-concept by using its AI platform to design a novel class of inhibitors targeting the SARS-CoV-2’s main protease enzyme, Mpro , also known as 3CLpro , the causative agent of COVID-19. Mpro is essential for the replication of coronavirus, so administering an Mpro inhibitor to patients as a standalone antiviral or alongside other concurrent treatments could provide a useful frontline therapy.
Exscientia’s AI-based platform will be used to optimise the novel small molecule inhibitors into a therapeutic development candidate, designed to be active against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. The project’s goal is to identify potential pan-coronavirus therapeutics that could be effective against COVID-19, and also new mutations or other SARS viruses that may emerge.
The new grant provided by the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator - an initiative launched by the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard to speed up the response to the pandemic - comes in addition to recent backing from the Gates Foundation supporting Exscientia’s work in developing treatments for tuberculosis, malaria and non-hormonal contraceptives which began in January 2021. Under the new grant, Exscientia will receive $1.5 million which will be used to advance a development candidate on achieving defined milestones. The virus protease inhibitors will be designed using Exscientia’s AI-driven drug discovery platform, which delivers optimised compounds, fulfilling complex design goals faster and more effectively than with conventional drug discovery methods.
Dr. Denise Barrault, Senior Portfolio Manager at Exscientia, commented, “The danger of new emerging strains and mutations of coronavirus means there is an urgent need for new antiviral drugs in this pandemic alongside vaccines, to respond more quickly in potential future coronavirus pandemics. We believe that the world needs innovation to accelerate the discovery of more effective counter-measures for a range of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.”
Exscientia has built a track record of improving and accelerating drug discovery by advancing the first three completely AI-designed small molecule drug candidates into clinical trials. In addition to its own proprietary programmes, Exscientia has entered into collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, Bayer, Sanofi and Dainippon Sumitomo, as well as multiple biotech companies. The company currently has more than 20 partners or wholly owned programmes for diseases involving cancer, immunology, the central nervous system, and genetic mutations.
ENDS
About Exscientia
Exscientia is an AI-driven pharmatech company 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 how drugs are created. Exscientia’s AI platform has now designed three drugs that are in Phase 1 human clinical trials.
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.
Exscientia has offices in Oxford, Miami, Osaka and Dundee. For more information visit us on www.exscientia.ai or follow us on Twitter @exscientiaAI.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210708005344/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
Ouster Releases The REV8 OS Family: The World’s First Native Color Lidar4.5.2026 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
Powered by the Company’s breakthrough L4 and L4 Max Ouster SiliconFeatures the first patented native color lidar sensors with point for point 3D color visionIntroduces flagship OS1 Max sensor with double the range and resolution of Rev7Auto-grade, cybersecure, and designed for functional-safety Ouster, Inc. (Nasdaq: OUST) (“Ouster” or the “Company”), a leader in sensing and perception for Physical AI, announced today its new family of OS digital lidar sensors, Rev8, powered by its next-generation L4 Ouster Silicon. Ouster Rev8 features the world’s first patented native color lidar sensors, provides up to double the range and resolution of the previous generation, and is designed for functional safety, reliability, affordability, and scale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260504718668/en/ The REV8 OS Family: The World's First Native Color Lidar. L4 Ouster Silicon: Ouster’s breakthrough L4 architecture doubles t
NIQ Research Reveals New Rules of Commerce: AI Is Beginning to Decide What Consumers Buy4.5.2026 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
NIQ’s latest global report—The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West—examines how commerce intelligence is helping brands, retailers, and platforms navigate a rapidly converging global landscapeAI is rapidly becoming the buyer, not just the tool—reshaping how products are discovered, chosen, and purchasedThe next wave of retail growth isn’t coming from traditional e‑commerce, but from live, social, quick, and AI‑driven commerce models scaling from East to West NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) has announced the release of its new global report, The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West, which examines how Eastern-led commerce innovation and Western retail media monetization are colliding to reshape global consumer commerce. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260428841965/en/ The report finds live, social, and quick commerce—long scaled across Asia—now drive most incremental digital growth worldwide, while Western m
OPAQUE Acquires Abu Dhabi-Developed Cryptographic AI Technology from TII, Extending Confidential AI Across the Full Lifecycle with Post-Quantum Protection4.5.2026 10:23:00 CEST | Press release
New capabilities make it possible to safely deploy AI agents on the most sensitive and regulated data — with hardware-enforced, verifiable rules and cryptographic guarantees built to withstand quantum computing OPAQUE, the Confidential AI company headquartered in San Francisco, California, today announced it has acquired advanced cryptographic AI technologies from the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). The acquired technology — already proven in real-world use cases — adds two critical capabilities to OPAQUE's platform: confidential AI model training powered by advanced cryptographic techniques such as multi-party computation and fully homomorphic encryption, as well as post-quantum cryptographic protections. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260504705475/en/ OPAQUE Acquires Abu Dhabi-Developed Cryptographic AI Technology
Forbes Includes Philip Morris International in Its Net Zero Leaders List4.5.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
PMI ranks number 4, marking its fourth consecutive year of recognition for making significant strides toward reaching net zero carbon footprint goals Philip Morris International (PMI) (NYSE: PM) has been included once more in Forbes’ 2026 Net Zero Leaders1 list, recognizing its leadership and continued progress in advancing climate action across its global operations. The Forbes Net Zero Leaders list highlights U.S. publicly listed companies best positioned to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, based on measurable performance rather than commitments alone. Despite most companies aligning to a 2050 net zero horizon, PMI remains committed to reaching net zero by 2040, as set out in its Climate Transition Plan published in 2025. This aspiration reflects PMI’s confidence in collective progress, trust that ambition drives innovation, that policy will evolve to enable change, and collaboration will accelerate system‑wide transformation. Above all, it signals hope: that by acting early and h
Mobius Renewables Acquires Air Liquide’s Biogas Production Activities in the United States, France, Norway, and Sweden4.5.2026 08:45:00 CEST | Press release
Mobius Renewables today announced the closing of the acquisition of Air Liquide’s biogas production activities in the United States, France, Norway, and Sweden. The acquisition includes six operating landfill gas-to-RNG (Renewable Natural Gas) sites in the U.S., five operating farm waste sites in France, and a 51% interest in Redo Biosolutions with production and distribution assets across Norway and Sweden. The acquired portfolio will be a meaningful addition to Mobius Renewables (“the Company”), a global, vertically integrated low carbon fuels platform established in December 2025 by funds managed by IFM Investors to accelerate the development, production, distribution, and commercialization of RNG at scale across North America and Europe. The Company is headquartered in Houston, Texas with additional offices in the United States, France, Norway, and Sweden. With this transaction, the establishment of Mobius Renewables is complete, and GreenGasUSA and the acquired portfolio will oper
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