Speaking to the agreement, Dr. Carla Grandori, SEngine Precision Medicine founder and CEO, told us SEngine leverages patient-derived organoids to validate novel targets and Atomwise provides small molecule discovery capabilities.
“This joint venture allows the two companies to each contribute their respective platforms in a synergistic fashion to speed and streamline new drug discovery,” she told us.
SEngine’s technology will provide validated therapeutic targets and the organoid platform for testing the efficacy of lead compounds, said Grandori, while Atomwise’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology will support the discovery and development of inhibitor compounds against these targets.
“Precision medicine for oncology requires technology that can provide a deep understanding of the biology of individual cancers and technology that can identify and evaluate potential drugs for individual cancers,” said Dr. Abraham Heifets, Atomwise CEO and co-founder, in a statement.
“This joint venture creates a path toward the development of small molecule therapies that are personalized for each cancer patient,” he added.
Based in San Francisco, CA, Atomwise provides deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) technology for structure-based small molecule drug discovery.
The company in January of this year formed a strategic alliance with Charles River and in June announced a multi-year agreement with Eli Lilly.
Since it was founded in 2012, Atomwise has raised more $50m from venture capital firms to support the development of its technology.
