The research collaboration will leverage Schrödinger’s advanced computational platform and Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company’s (SPARC) understanding of neurodegeneration.
A spokesperson for Schrödinger said the collaboration aims to accelerate novel development candidates for target pathways “of emerging interest and significance in neurodegeneration.”
“SPARC has some very interesting insights that we think hold a lot of promise for drug development,” the spokesperson told us.
Schrödinger remains focused on drug discovery through molecular simulation and will provide all computational analyses, and lead discovery and optimization. SPARC, a clinical-stage company, will be responsible for compound synthesis and assays. The teams will use Schrödinger’s LiveDesign platform to collaborate on the process.
In a statement made by Ramy Farid, president and CEO of Schrödinger he said, “This research collaboration is particularly exciting because neurodegeneration is an area where we urgently need more options for patients through novel approaches to drug discovery and development.”
Sparc’s CEO, Anil Raghavan, stated that prior to this collaboration, it has used Schrödinger’s software for years and has “experienced directly the power of [its] physics-based approaches to computational modeling.”
SPARC is not the only company to enter into a collaboration with Schrödinger recently. WuXi AppTec and Schrödinger recently launched a ‘virtual global collaboration.’
Additionally, Schrödinger in 2016 co-founded Nimbus Therapeutics through a drug discovery collaboration. From that collaboration, the company sold an ACC inhibitor to Gilead in a $1.2bn deal.
Takeda also signed a research collaboration with Schrödinger to examine multiple targets through Schrödinger’s in silico platform-driven drug discovery capabilities.