Exscientia Partners with University of Oxford on Alzheimer’s Treatments

Artificial Intelligence (AI) drug discovery company, Exscientia, has formed a partnership with the Alzheimer’s Research United Kingdom University of Oxford Drug Discovery Institute (ARUK-ODDI) for the development of medicines targeting neuroinflammation to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The partnership, which was announced in a Feb. 11, 2021 press release, will combine Exscientia’s AI-driven molecular design capabilities with the deep therapy area knowledge and technical expertise of the ARUK-ODDI. The collaborative efforts will focus on a specific neuroinflammatory pathway implicated in the development of AD—activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

“Alzheimer’s is a dreadful disease that affects tens of millions worldwide. Despite clinical trials of numerous agents over a wide range of mechanisms, the last new Alzheimer’s medication, was approved nearly two decades ago,” said Exscientia’s Chief Operating Officer David Hallett, in the press release. “Alzheimer’s drug development is costly, complex, and extremely challenging with clinical trial failure rate being the highest of any therapeutic area. Our mission is to make novel drugs available to all and we are excited to utilize our AI drug discovery platform and work alongside the expertise of the [ARUK-ODDI] team to accelerate innovation and develop potential medicines to solve this global epidemic.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with Exscientia. Their state-of-the-art AI capabilities will enable us to investigate multiple molecules in parallel and accelerate the project towards candidate declaration,” added Dr. John Davis, chief scientific officer of the ARUK-ODDI, in the press release. “Human genetic variation points towards a critical role for the body’s immune system in an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It is vital that we develop treatments that target neuroinflammatory mechanisms underlying dementia.”

Source: Exscientia