Absci and Owkin Synergize Leading TechBio Platforms to Advance Generative AI Drug Discovery
Rhea-AI Summary
Absci (NASDAQ: ABSI) and Owkin have announced a strategic partnership to combine their AI platforms for drug discovery and development. The collaboration will focus on discovering and designing novel therapeutics in immuno-oncology, immunology, and inflammation.
Owkin will contribute its predictive AI models for target selection and therapeutic hypothesis validation using biomedical datasets and patient-derived organoids. Absci will utilize its generative AI Drug Creation platform and de novo antibody design models to develop therapeutic candidates against these novel targets.
This partnership marks Absci's fourth drug creation partnership in 2024, meeting the company's yearly outlook. Both companies bring significant industry partnerships to the table, with Absci's existing collaborations with AstraZeneca and Merck, and Owkin's work with Sanofi and BMS.
Positive
- Achievement of 2024 partnership goals with fourth drug creation collaboration
- Strategic expansion into immuno-oncology, immunology, and inflammation markets
- Enhancement of drug discovery capabilities through combined AI technologies
Negative
- None.
Insights
This strategic partnership represents a significant technological advancement in AI-driven drug discovery. Absci's AI de novo design platform combined with Owkin's predictive AI and patient-derived organoid validation creates a comprehensive, end-to-end drug discovery pipeline. The integration of these complementary AI platforms addresses two critical bottlenecks: target identification and therapeutic design optimization.
The collaboration's focus on immuno-oncology, immunology and inflammation targets a $150+ billion market. Absci's achievement of securing four new partnerships in 2024 demonstrates strong commercial traction and validates their AI platform's capabilities. Working with established partners like AstraZeneca and Merck provides important validation of their technology.
Owkin's expertise in patient data analysis and their Operating System 'Owkin K' provides a competitive edge in target discovery, potentially reducing the typically high failure rates in early-stage drug development. Their existing partnerships with Sanofi and BMS further strengthen the credibility of this collaboration.
This partnership significantly enhances Absci's competitive position in the AI-driven drug discovery space. Meeting their 2024 partnership goal signals strong business development execution and potential revenue growth through collaboration milestones. The deal structure leveraging complementary AI platforms reduces individual R&D risk while maintaining upside potential in novel drug candidates.
For investors, this represents a strategic expansion of Absci's technology moat. The combination of their de novo antibody design capabilities with Owkin's target discovery platform creates a more comprehensive offering that could accelerate deal flow and improve success rates. The focus on first-in-class therapeutics in high-value areas like immuno-oncology suggests substantial market opportunity if successful.
The partnership with Owkin, which has established relationships with major pharma companies, could lead to expanded opportunities and validates Absci's platform technology. This news, combined with their existing high-profile partnerships, positions Absci well for potential long-term value creation in the competitive AI drug discovery space.
Collaboration combines Owkin’s novel AI target discovery and agentic AI expertise with Absci’s leading AI de novo design models to accelerate the discovery and design of potential first-in-class therapeutics
VANCOUVER, Wash. and PARIS, Jan. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Absci Corporation (NASDAQ: ABSI), a data-first generative AI drug creation company, and Owkin, a TechBio that uses agentic AI to unlock complex targets for drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, today announced a partnership bringing together two leading AI platforms to rapidly discover and design novel therapeutics for patients.
“At Absci, we’re constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to bring better biologics to patients faster,” said Sean McClain, Founder and CEO of Absci. “By combining Absci’s AI de novo design expertise with Owkin’s world-class predictive AI target discovery technology, we have a unique opportunity to design first-in-class and potentially transformative therapeutics for patients in need.”
Through this strategic partnership, Absci and Owkin will co-develop therapeutic candidates addressing novel targets in immuno-oncology and other indications, such as immunology and inflammation. Owkin’s predictive AI models will optimize target selection and validate therapeutic hypotheses using extensive biomedical datasets and patient-derived organoids. Absci’s generative AI Drug Creation platform, including its de novo antibody design models, will rapidly design therapeutic candidates against these novel targets. Together, the companies will aim to streamline and accelerate the path from research to clinical development.
“At Owkin, our mission is to use patient data and Owkin K, our Operating System, to revolutionize drug discovery and development,” said Thomas Clozel, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Owkin. “This partnership with Absci represents a significant step forward in our journey to bring transformative therapies to patients. By bringing together Owkin’s AI agents that can identify and experimentally validate novel therapeutic targets with Absci’s pioneering capabilities in developing biologic drug candidates, we aim to accelerate the delivery of next-generation treatments.”
This collaboration builds on Absci’s growing portfolio of partnerships with industry leaders such as AstraZeneca and Merck, as well as its robust internal pipeline of drug candidates. With this new partnership, Absci has added drug creation partnerships with four new Partners in 2024, achieving the Company's outlook for the year. Similarly, Owkin has established itself as a pioneer in predictive AI, working with top-tier pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi and BMS to advance drug discovery and development as well as its differentiated pipeline of drug candidates and AI diagnostics.
About Absci
Absci is a data-first generative AI drug creation company that combines AI with scalable wet lab technologies to create better biologics for patients, faster. Our Integrated Drug Creation™ platform unlocks the potential to accelerate time to clinic and increase the probability of success by simultaneously optimizing multiple drug characteristics important to both development and therapeutic benefit. With the data to train, the AI to create, and the wet lab to validate, we can screen billions of cells per week, allowing us to go from AI-designed antibodies to wet lab-validated candidates in as little as six weeks. Absci’s headquarters is in Vancouver, WA, with our AI Research Lab in New York City and an Innovation Center in Zug, Switzerland. Visit www.absci.com and follow us on LinkedIn (@absci), X (Twitter) (@Abscibio), and YouTube.
About Owkin
Owkin is the first end-to-end AI biotech company on a mission to understand complex biology and ensure every patient gets the right treatment. We identify precision therapeutics, de-risk and accelerate clinical trials, and develop diagnostics using AI trained on world-class patient data through privacy-enhancing technologies. We merge wet lab experiments with advanced AI techniques to create a powerful feedback loop for accelerated discovery and innovation in oncology, cardiovascular disease, and immunity and inflammation.
Owkin also founded MOSAIC, the world’s largest spatial multi-omics atlas for cancer research across nine cancer indications. Owkin has raised over
Absci Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts are considered forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements containing the words “will,” “may,” “pursues,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “aims,” “potential,” “forecast,” “estimates,” “extends,” “expects,” and “intends,” or similar expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the capabilities of our Integrated Drug Creation platform, our technology development efforts and the application of those efforts, the potential benefits of our partnership with Owkin, the plans and success of our current and future partnerships and the ability to generate advancements towards treating disease using generative AI drug creation to accelerate the development of novel candidate therapies, the anticipated value to us under our partnerships, and our internal therapeutic asset programs, to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, and we make this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies, and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. We can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations, or strategies will be attained or achieved, and furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to our ability to effectively collaborate on research, drug discovery and development activities with our partners or potential partners, our dependence on third parties to support our internal development programs, including for the manufacture and supply of preclinical and clinical supplies of our product candidates or components thereof, our existing and potential partners’ ability and willingness to pursue the development and commercialization of programs or product candidates under the terms of our partnership agreements, and overall market conditions and regulatory developments that may affect our and our partners’ activities under these agreements, along with those risks set forth in our most recent periodic report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Absci Investor Contact
Alex Khan
VP, Finance & Investor Relations
investors@absci.com
Absci Media Contact
press@absci.com
Owkin Media Contact
Stephanie Libous
Director of Communications and PR
stephanie.libous@owkin.com
FAQ
What is the purpose of the Absci (ABSI) and Owkin partnership announced in January 2024?
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