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
Money20/20 Europe Celebrates Ten Years of Industry Leadership as AI, Digital Assets and Financial Sovereignty Take Centre Stage8.6.2026 17:37:00 CEST | Press release
Money20/20, the world's leading fintech show and the place where money does business, celebrated a major milestone with its 10th Europe edition, convening more than 7,500 attendees, one in three at C-suite level, and over 2,300 companies from over 105 countries in Amsterdam, for three days of industry-defining announcements, strategic partnerships, and dealmaking that set the agenda for the future of financial services. Featuring more than 450 speakers across six stages, Money20/20 Europe welcomed leaders from banking, fintech, payments, policy, technology and digital assets to explore the forces reshaping the future of money. “This year’s show demonstrated that financial services have entered a new phase of transformation,” said Bryony Naylor, Vice President of Money20/20 Europe. “Across the show floor and on stage, we saw leaders move beyond discussing what’s next to actively building it. From AI and digital identity to financial sovereignty and digital assets, the conversations and
Liberty Latin America Selects BTS as Exclusive A2P Messaging Managed Services Partner Across All Its Markets8.6.2026 17:36:00 CEST | Press release
BTS announced today that it has been chosen as the exclusive provider of managed A2P SMS services for Liberty Latin America (LLA), supporting the company’s efforts to strengthen revenue protection, fraud mitigation, traffic intelligence, and operational visibility across its markets. The agreement reinforces LLA’s A2P messaging strategy throughout a broad regional footprint and establishes a coordinated operating model to improve control, visibility, and monetization of A2P traffic across its markets. The partnership will support revenue maximization, stronger fraud protection and grey-route mitigation, enhanced real-time traffic visibility, operational reporting and analytics, revenue assurance, and 24x7x365 managed services support. The agreement spans 25 markets and reflects a high level of operational trust in BTS’ ability to deliver consistent performance across diverse regulatory, technical, and commercial environments. “This agreement gives us a stronger and more consistent oper
The Estée Lauder Companies Strengthens UK Manufacturing Network as Whitman Facility Celebrates 60 Years of British Craftsmanship8.6.2026 17:14:00 CEST | Press release
As The Estée Lauder Companies’ (NYSE: EL) Whitman manufacturing facility celebrates its 60th anniversary, the company today announced a strategic investment that will strengthen its UK manufacturing network, further reinforcing its long-standing commitment to British craftsmanship, innovation, and growth in prestige fragrance. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260608415843/en/ From left to right: Jo Dancey, Global Brand President, Jo Malone London; Alex Gregorian, SVP, Global Manufacturing & Engineering; Roberto Canevari, Chief Value Chain Officer; Nadine Graf, President, EUKEM; Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer; William P. Lauder, Chair of the Board of Directors; Maria Genouzos, VP, EUKEM and APAC Manufacturing; Pernilla Nyberg, SVP, General Manager, UK & Ireland; Jamal Chamariq, SVP, EUKEM & TR Value Chain; and Ben Smith, Whitman Plant Manager, celebrate the 60th anniversary of The
IQM and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. Announce Effectiveness of Registration Statement for Proposed Business Combination8.6.2026 16:16:00 CEST | Press release
RAAQ Extraordinary General Meeting Scheduled for June 25, 2026 IQM Finland Oy, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”), and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RAAQ), a special purpose acquisition company (“RAAQ”), announced today that the registration statement on Form F-4 (the “Registration Statement”), relating to their previously announced business combination, has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on June 5, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260608520188/en/ IQM Radiance quantum computer The extraordinary general meeting of RAAQ’s shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination (the “Extraordinary General Meeting”) will be held on June 25, 2026. The proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Extraordinary General Meeting was mailed to RAAQ’s shareholders of record
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance to Launch in 2027!8.6.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
– Monster Hunter: World, released in 2018, surpassed 30 million units as Capcom looks to expand its global user base – Capcom Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:9697) today announced that Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, a massive expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds, is scheduled for release in 2027. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260608183725/en/ Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance key art Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is a massive expansion (paid content) for Monster Hunter Wilds, which was released in February 2025. As a continuation of the main game’s story, the expansion will further deepen the gameplay experience with new content including new quest ranks, locales, additional monsters and expanded weapon actions through new gameplay features. The company is currently developing the title for release in 2027. Capcom is also developing Monster Hunter Wilds for Nintendo Switch™ 2 in addition to the existing platforms. Furthe
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