Wednesday, November 09, 2022
Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage company specializing in AI-driven drug discovery, has announced a strategic research collaboration with Sanofi, a leading pharmaceutical company. This multi-year, multi-target partnership aims to leverage Insilico Medicine's AI platform, Pharma.AI, to advance the development of drug candidates for up to six new targets.
Changchun Xiao, Head of China Research at Sanofi, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "We look forward to working with Insilico Medicine, a proven leader in AI-powered drug discovery. By combining our complementary capabilities and co-locating our scientific teams, we aim to enhance the drug discovery efforts of the Sanofi Institute for Biomedical Research (SIBR), Sanofi's R&D center in China."
According to the agreement, Sanofi will make payments totaling up to $21.5 million to Insilico Medicine, covering upfront and target nomination fees. In return, Sanofi will gain access to Insilico's comprehensive Pharma.AI platform and a team of interdisciplinary drug discovery scientists. This collaboration will enable the identification, synthesis, and advancement of high-quality lead therapeutic compounds up to the development candidate stage. Further payments may be made based on the achievement of key research, development, and sales milestones, potentially totaling up to $1.2 billion. The agreement also establishes mid-single to up to low double-digit tiered royalties for any products resulting from the collaboration.
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, CEO and founder of Insilico Medicine, expressed excitement about the collaboration, stating, "We are very happy to collaborate with Sanofi, a company with a clear strategy in AI-powered drug discovery. This close collaboration will provide Sanofi with immediate access to the capabilities of one of the top AI startups, thereby enriching their drug discovery pipeline."
Feng Ren, PhD, co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, also shared his enthusiasm, saying, "We are thrilled to collaborate with Sanofi. By leveraging Sanofi's strong expertise in drug research and development and Insilico's powerful AI platform, we believe we can accelerate the discovery of novel therapeutics to address diseases with unmet medical needs. Together, we will utilize cutting-edge AI technologies to achieve significant breakthroughs in drug R&D.
