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
Corient Accelerates European Growth With the Addition of Letus Private Office30.6.2026 07:15:00 CEST | Press release
Leading French multi-family office with approximately US$5 billion in assets is Corient’s fourth European acquisition, growing firm’s global assets to approximately US$523 billion Corient today announced an agreement to acquire Letus Private Office (“Letus”), an independent multi-family office and wealth advisory firm serving entrepreneurs, founders and other ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families across France and Europe. The acquisition, subject to closing, builds on recent transactions that have made Corient the world’s largest multi-family office and non-bank wealth manager focused on ultra-high-net worth and high-net-worth clients. Paris-based Letus was founded in 2016 and is led by Managing Partners Anice Chlagou, Stephen Lasry and Alexandre Tsouli, and Partner Sacha Levy. It manages and administers approximately €4.1 billion (about US$5 billion). Letus serves ultra-high-net worth clients, primarily entrepreneurs and their families, providing comprehensive, bespoke service
“BOCCHI THE ROCK!” SeisyunComplex Premiered on June 20!30.6.2026 07:00:00 CEST | Press release
A New Work for “TOKYO Night & Light” — Surpassing 1.4 Million Total Visitors The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been presenting year-round projection mapping displays on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, using light and sound to showcase a wide range of artistic expressions as part of its efforts to create new nighttime tourism attractions in Tokyo. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260625185578/en/ We are pleased to announce that the first screening of “BOCCHI THE ROCK!” SeisyunComplex, a new projection mapping work inspired by the highly popular anime “BOCCHI THE ROCK!”, was held on Saturday, June 20. Following its premiere, the work will be screened throughout the year as part of the weekday and weekend lineup of “TOKYO Night & Light”. Since its launch in February 2024, “TOKYO Night & Light” has welcomed visitors from Japan and around the world, with total attendance surpassing 1.4 million. As on
Hengrui’s Heng Yi® Approved in China as an Innovative Cyclosporine Ophthalmic Solution for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease30.6.2026 07:00:00 CEST | Press release
Hengrui Pharma, a global pharmaceutical company focused on scientific and technological innovation, and Novaliq GmbH (“Novaliq”), a biopharmaceutical company focusing on first- and best-in-class ocular therapeutics based on its unique EyeSol® water-free platform technology, announce today that on June 23, 2026, the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved Heng Yi® (0.1% cyclosporine ophthalmic solution) for the treatment of patients with dry eye disease, aiming to increase tear secretion in patients with reduced tear production and improve the sign of the disease. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260629052295/en/ Heng Yi Heng Yi® is the first and only water-free 0.1% cyclosporine ophthalmic solution and the second dry eye disease drug product approved in China based on the EyeSol® platform technology, following the approval of Heng Qin® (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution) in 202
Nebex Raises $30M Seed Round Led by GV to Build Market Infrastructure for the Global Space Economy29.6.2026 17:38:00 CEST | Press release
The new funding and banking relationship allow Nebex to scale the market and unlock the commercial space economy. Nebex, the market infrastructure platform for the global space economy, announced a $30M seed investment led by GV (Google Ventures), with participation from other top-tier venture funds. The company also announced a banking relationship with J.P. Morgan. The capital raise and new banking relationship will help Nebex scale its platform and connect sovereign space programs with the founders and companies building new technologies to serve the space industry. "We built Nebex because we've seen firsthand that ambitious space founders struggle to deliver complex sovereign programs due to the lack of capital markets infrastructure that supports revenue and cashflow. This is something that exists in nearly every other industry," said Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO of Nebex. "Support from these organizations gives Nebex the additional leverage and financial infrastructure to build the global
Medisca Enters Its Next Chapter Under Founder Antonio Dos Santos29.6.2026 16:19:00 CEST | Press release
Medisca today announced that Founder and Chairman Antonio Dos Santos has returned to the role of Chief Executive Officer as the company enters its next chapter of growth. For more than 35 years, Dos Santos has helped shape Medisca into a global leader in pharmaceutical compounding. As Chief Executive Officer, he will lead the company's long-term strategy, with a focus on expanding Medisca's global reach, investing in new areas of growth, strengthening strategic partnerships, and continuing to advance the products, services, education, and expertise that healthcare professionals rely on every day. "When I founded Medisca, my vision was to raise the standard of pharmaceutical compounding by bringing pharmaceutical-grade quality to the industry and giving healthcare professionals access to the products, knowledge, and innovation they needed to deliver better patient care," said Antonio Dos Santos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medisca. "That purpose continues to guide us. As we b
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