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
Andersen Consulting tilføjer Multiplica3.4.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting indgår en samarbejdsaftale med Multiplica, et digitalt konsulentfirma, der hjælper organisationer med at designe, bygge og skalere effektfulde digitale oplevelser. Multiplica, der er stiftet i Spanien og desuden har aktiviteter i Latinamerika og USA, fokuserer på brugerundersøgelser og behovsafdækning, research af kundeoplevelser, digital strategi, datamodellering og -analyse, rapportautomatisering og datavisualisering, konverteringsoptimering, produktdesign og design af brugeroplevelser. Virksomheden hjælper organisationer med at fremskynde den digitale transformation ved at opbygge digitale kompetencer, teams og aktiver, der fremmer ekspertise på tværs af digitale produkter, rådgivning og talentudvikling. Multiplica gør det muligt for kunder at prognosticere nye tendenser inden for digitale oplevelser og transformere deres forretninger gennem styrkede digitale kanaler og kundeengagement. "Samarbejdet med Andersen Consulting udgør en spændende mulighed for at udvid
Enry’s Island Unveils “Enry’s Island Adventures”: Venture Capital Becomes a Videogame and Launches the “Strap” Movement on Kickstarter3.4.2026 09:47:00 CEST | Press release
Gaming, finance, and lifestyle merge to democratize the startup ecosystem: Enry’s Island opens 2026 applications for game development studios seeking more than just capital. Enry’s Island SpA (WBAG: EIOS), the world’s first publicly traded Venture Builder, today announced the upcoming Kickstarter launch of Enry’s Island Adventures (EIA), developed by its New York-based portfolio company, Enry’s Island Adventures LLC. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260402548535/en/ The game is designed to make venture capital accessible to new generations, transforming startup creation into an engaging and social gaming experience. After three years of R&D, EIA introduces a "bleisure" model (business + leisure): players learn to launch and manage startups through gameplay that includes real business KPIs, a customizable and evolving personal island, synchronous and asynchronous multiplayer modes, social events, and community-d
SES Announces Results of the Annual General Meeting2.4.2026 16:49:00 CEST | Press release
SES (the “Company”) held the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of Shareholders today in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. Following the recommendations made by the Board of Directors of SES, the shareholders have voted in favor of all resolutions, including the Company’s 2025 annual accounts and the proposed annual dividend of EUR 0.50 per A-share (EUR 0.20 per B-share). The total dividend amount comprises the interim dividend of EUR 0.25 per A-share (EUR 0.10 per B-share), which has already been paid to shareholders on October 16, 2025. The final dividend of EUR 0.25 per A-share (EUR 0.10 per B-share) will be paid to shareholders on April 16, 2026. “I would like to sincerely thank our shareholders for their active engagement, visionary support and continued confidence in SES’ strategy,” said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. “The outcomes of today’s AGM underscore our shared commitment to a bold multi-orbit approach, with Medium Earth Orbit as the strategic backbone of a dynamically evolving global interco
Andersen Consulting styrker sine kompetencer med tilføjelsen af Lukkap2.4.2026 16:31:00 CEST | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting tilføjer samarbejdspartneren Lukkap, et konsulenthus med fokus på oplevelsesdrevne kompetencer, der er tilpasset kundernes skiftende behov inden for transformation af medarbejdere, kunder og det digitale område. Lukkap, der blev stiftet i 2009 og har hovedsæde i Spanien, leverer integrerede løsninger, der hjælper organisationer med at transformere, hvordan de betjener kunder, engagerer medarbejdere og frigør værdi gennem adfærdsindsigt og dataanalyse. Virksomhedens tværfaglige tilgang spænder over nytænkning af kunderejsen, effektive programmer for medarbejderoplevelser, talent- og ledelsesudvikling, prædiktiv analyse samt omfattende outplacement- og transitionsydelser. Lukkap arbejder på tværs af sektorer — herunder sundhedsvæsen, medicinalindustri, forbrugsgoder, detailhandel, finans og bankvæsen — for at opbygge menneskecentrerede strategier, der skaber målbare forretningsresultater. "Ved at kombinere vores erfaringsdrevne metode med Andersen Consultings globale
Forrester: Three Years Into GenAI, Enterprises Are Still Chasing Its True Transformative Value2.4.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press release
Low AI fluency, uneven adoption, and marginal productivity gains are limiting enterprise-scale impact According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) latest report, Accelerate Your AI Voyage, most enterprises are struggling to turn growing AI adoption and investment into measurable business impact. One of the key factors holding businesses back is low artificial intelligence quotient (AIQ) — Forrester’s measure of AI aptitude — with many employees lacking a clear understanding of how to use AI. Other barriers include an overemphasis on productivity-focused use cases, difficulty measuring impact, and siloed adoption within individual functions. While these challenges can leave firms frozen in doubt or indecision, the wait-and-see approach to AI adoption is no longer viable. To unlock AI’s full potential, organizations need to focus on four key areas: Define the business outcomes and success metrics for what they want AI to achieve; identify specific use cases for AI deployment aligned to those
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