SEngine Precision Medicine and Atomwise, Inc. today announced a joint venture to accelerate novel oncology drug discovery utilizing the unique platform technologies each company has validated through years of development.
SEngine Precision Medicine will provide the joint venture with validated gene targets that are essential for the growth of mutant cancer cells. Atomwise will use its AI technology to discover and develop inhibitor compounds against these targets. SEngine will evaluate and validate these novel compounds using its proprietary PARIS Test to perform “in vitro clinical trials” which can screen hundreds of candidate drugs and drug combinations simultaneously against living tumors in the form of patient-derived organoids. Atomwise will use its AI technology to optimize possible drug candidates based upon data from SEngine’s “in vitro clinical trials.” This unique approach is expected to rapidly advance the development of clinical candidates and greatly reduce time and costs.
“The combined capabilities of this collaboration create a model for the next generation of drug discovery to decrease time to market and lower the cost of clinical trials,” said Dr. Carla Grandori, SEngine Precision Medicine Founder and CEO. She continued, “The process from discovering a promising small molecule to validation for a clinical trial candidate may now be accomplished at a fraction of the cost and time required of current efforts which may take up to ten years.”
“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, CEO and Co-Founder of Atomwise. “This joint venture creates a path toward the development of small molecule therapies that are personalized for each cancer patient.”
ABOUT SENGINE PRECISION MEDICINE:
Founded in 2015, SEngine Precision Medicine is a privately-held biotech startup based in Seattle, WA and founded to identify and develop the next generation of cancer targeted drugs. Discover more at www.SengineMedicine.com and follow the latest news from SEngine on Twitter at @SEngineMedicine and on LinkedIn.
ABOUT ATOMWISE:
Atomwise, Inc. invented the first deep learning AI technology for structure-based small molecule drug discovery. Created in 2012, today Atomwise performs hundreds of projects per year in partnership with some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies, as well as more than one hundred universities and hospitals in 19 countries. Atomwise has raised over $50 million from leading venture capital firms to support the development and application of its AI technology. Learn more at www.atomwise.com or follow @AtomwiseInc.
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