Evogene and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Announce a Collaboration to Advance AI-Driven Cancer Therapeutics

Rhea-AI Summary

Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN) announced a collaboration with Dr. Mark Adams' group at Queensland University of Technology on Feb 17, 2026 to accelerate AI-driven discovery of small-molecule inhibitors targeting a newly identified enzymatic detoxification pathway that drives Cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The partnership combines Evogene's ChemPass AI™ generative design platform with QUT's biological insights to generate and iteratively refine drug-like leads aimed at restoring chemotherapy and targeted-therapy sensitivity.

Positive

• Targeted collaboration with QUT to address Cisplatin resistance in NSCLC
• ChemPass AI applied for generative small-molecule design and lead prioritization
• Iterative biology-AI loop integrating lab data for multi-parameter optimization

Negative

• No clinical data or timelines disclosed for candidate progression to trials
• Research-stage collaboration without disclosed commercial or financial terms

Argus Feb 17 session

+1.67% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – EVGN

On Feb 17, the day this news came out, EVGN closed 1.67% above the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Feb 17 session.

Key Figures

Cisplatin intrinsic resistance: 60–70% of treated patients Targeted therapy non-response: 30–40% of patients Current share price: $0.96 +5 more

Cisplatin intrinsic resistance

60–70% of treated patients

High intrinsic resistance to cornerstone chemotherapy Cisplatin in NSCLC

Targeted therapy non-response

30–40% of patients

Patients receiving targeted therapies who fail to respond upfront

Current share price

$0.96

Price before market reaction to AI-driven cancer collaboration news

52-week high

$2.42

EVGN trades materially below its 52-week high level

52-week low

$0.91

Current price modestly above 52-week low

Price change 24h

1.61%

Pre-news daily move for EVGN on the announcement date

20-day avg volume

1,217,477 shares

Benchmark for trading activity versus today’s volume

Volume today

87,595 shares

Pre-news trading volume on the collaboration announcement day

Previous AI Reports

1 past event · Latest: Oct 31

Same Type 1 event

1. Oct 31

   AI collaboration

   24h Move

   -5.0%

   Google Cloud deal to build generative AI foundation model for small molecules.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

non-small cell lung cancer, immunotherapy, chemotherapy resistance, targeted therapies, +4 more

8 terms

non-small cell lung cancer medical

"drug candidates for the treatment of chemotherapy and targeted therapy-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)"

A broad category of lung tumors that grow from the cells lining the airways and make up the majority of lung cancer cases; it includes several subtypes that behave and respond to treatment differently, like different models of the same car family. It matters to investors because its large patient population and variety of treatment options — surgery, traditional chemo, targeted drugs and immunotherapies — create major markets where clinical trial results, drug approvals or changing treatment guidelines can quickly affect a company’s revenue and stock value.

immunotherapy medical

"In immunotherapy, whether as monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy, similar rates..."

Treatment that uses or enhances the body’s immune system to detect and fight disease, most often cancers or chronic infections; think of it as training or arming the body’s own soldiers to find and destroy targets. It matters to investors because successful immunotherapies can lead to high-value drug approvals, recurring revenue from long-term treatments, and changes in competitive dynamics, while failures or safety issues in clinical trials can materially affect company valuations.

chemotherapy resistance medical

"new therapeutic strategy for overcoming chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer"

When cancer cells stop responding to chemotherapy drugs and the medicines no longer shrink tumors or slow growth, often because the cells change behavior or protect themselves against the drug. This matters to investors because it can derail clinical trials, delay or block regulatory approval, shorten a drug’s commercial life and increase development costs — like a key that no longer fits a lock, forcing companies to create new solutions or face lost revenue.

targeted therapies medical

"resistance to standard-of-care chemotherapies and targeted therapies remain a major hurdle"

Targeted therapies are medicines designed to act on specific molecules or cells that drive a disease, like a guided missile that aims at the bad actors while leaving most healthy tissue alone. For investors, they matter because their precision can lead to stronger results, faster regulatory approval, and premium pricing but also concentrated markets and technical or regulatory risk, so progress in development or clinical tests can quickly change a company’s value.

small-molecule inhibitors medical

"design novel small-molecule inhibitors that effectively block this critical mechanism"

Small-molecule inhibitors are compact chemical drugs that can enter cells and block specific proteins or biological switches that drive diseases, like putting a small wrench into a machine to stop one gear from turning. They matter to investors because they often can be taken orally, are easier to manufacture and modify than large biological drugs, and their clinical success or failure directly affects a drug developer’s market value, partnerships and revenue potential.

enzymatic pathway medical

"targeting this previously unrecognized enzymatic pathway of chemotherapy resistance"

A sequence of chemical steps inside a cell where individual enzymes act like workers on an assembly line, transforming simple molecules into more complex ones or breaking them down. Investors care because these pathways are the biological routes targeted by many drugs, diagnostics and biotech products—altering a single enzyme can change a therapy’s effectiveness, manufacturing yield, patent value and regulatory risk, much like upgrading one machine can reshape an entire factory’s output.

generative molecular design technical

"state-of-the-art computational capabilities for generative molecular design"

Generative molecular design is the use of computer models, often driven by artificial intelligence, to create new chemical structures that are likely to have desired properties, such as binding a disease target or being easy to manufacture. Think of it as an automated designer that drafts many candidate molecules quickly, helping researchers find promising leads faster and cheaper; investors watch for it because it can shorten development timelines, reduce R&D cost and risk, and increase the chance of profitable drugs or materials.

AI-driven technical

"Leveraging Evogene's AI-driven technology allows us to accelerate a path from research"

AI-driven describes products, services, processes or decisions that rely on artificial intelligence—software that detects patterns in data and makes predictions or choices without step-by-step human direction. For investors it signals potential for faster growth, lower operating costs or new revenue, but also new risks (model errors, data problems, regulatory limits); think of it like a smart thermostat that can save energy and money but can also misbehave if fed bad information.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Aiming to introduce a new therapeutic strategy for overcoming chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer due to increased expression of cellular pathways

REHOVOT, Israel, Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), a pioneering computational chemistry company specializing in the generative design of small molecules for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries today announced a collaboration with the pioneering research group of Dr. Mark Adams, a leading cancer genomics expert in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Faculty of Health at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. This partnership aims to accelerate the discovery and optimization of novel small molecules as potential drug candidates for the treatment of chemotherapy and targeted therapy-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as other cancers.

Despite significant advancements in cancer treatment, resistance to standard-of-care chemotherapies and targeted therapies remain a major hurdle in treating patients with aggressive cancers, such as NSCLC. The effectiveness of cornerstone therapies such as Cisplatin is limited by high intrinsic resistance, seen in 60-70% of treated patients¹, while 30-40% of patients receiving targeted therapies also fail to respond upfront². In immunotherapy, whether as monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy, similar rates of both intrinsic and acquired resistance are observed³. These patterns highlight an urgent need for more effective therapies that can overcome both intrinsic and acquired treatment resistance.

Based on breakthrough findings from Dr. Adams' lab uncovering a novel druggable cellular detoxification pathway driving Cisplatin resistance in NSCLC, this collaboration aims to design novel small-molecule inhibitors that effectively block this critical mechanism and restore treatment sensitivity.

The collaboration combines Evogene's ChemPass AI™'s state-of-the-art computational capabilities for generative molecular design with Dr. Adams' leading expertise in cancer cell biology. By targeting this previously unrecognized enzymatic pathway of chemotherapy resistance, the collaboration seeks to introduce a new therapeutic strategy for overcoming chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer. The collaboration will focus on:

• Pinpointing critical mechanisms within Cisplatin-induced detoxification processes that can be therapeutically disrupted.
• Applying ChemPass AI™ to generate high-quality chemical leads, prioritizing molecules with strong inhibitory potential and favorable drug-like properties.
• Iteratively refining compound design using integrated biological insights from Dr. Adams' lab into ChemPass AI™'s generative model for multi-parameter optimization of drug candidates.

Dr. Mark Adams from Queensland University of Technology stated: "Partnering with Evogene is an exciting opportunity not only from a cell and molecular biology perspective, but also for its translational potential. Leveraging Evogene's AI-driven technology allows us to accelerate a path from research to real world outcomes. By working together, I look forward to seeing our collective innovation one day make a meaningful difference for people living with cancer."

Dr. Gabi Tarcic, Evogene's Chief Development Officer, stated: "By combining Dr. Adams' deep biological insight into resistance pathways with our advanced AI-driven drug design capabilities, we hope to offer a new lifeline to patients who currently face limited treatment options. Partnering with Dr. Adams' research team at QUT marks an important step in extending our generative AI technology into oncology, particularly in tackling one of the most persistent challenges in cancer - chemotherapy resistance."

About Evogene Ltd.

Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN) is a pioneering company in computational chemistry, specializing in the generative design of small molecules for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.

At the core of its technology is ChemPass AI™, a proprietary generative AI engine that enables the design of novel, highly potent small molecules optimized across multiple critical parameters. This powerful platform significantly improves success rates while reducing development time and costs.

Built on this powerful technological foundation, and through strategic partnerships alongside internal product development, Evogene is focused on creating breakthrough products driven by the integration of scientific innovation with real-world industry needs. We call this approach "Real-World Innovation".

Learn more at: www.evogene.com.

Learn more about QUT's cancer research initiatives at: www.qut.edu.au/research.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as "may," "could," "expects," "hopes," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "scheduled," "estimates," "demonstrates" or words of similar meaning. For example, Evogene and its subsidiaries use forward-looking statements in this press release when they discuss: the potential success of the collaboration to accelerate the discovery and optimization of novel small molecules as potential drug candidates for the treatment of chemotherapy and design effective new therapies that can overcome both intrinsic and acquired treatment resistance in lung cancer; Evogene's ability to discover novel compounds that will be optimized for the specific clinical need, i.e. patients that have progressed on currently available therapies; and the collaboration parties' hope to offer a new lifeline to patients who currently face limited treatment options. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the aftermath of the recent war between Israel and each of (i) the terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, (ii) Iran, and (iii) other regional terrorist groups supported by Iran, and any potential destabilizations in Israel, neighboring territories or the Middle East region, and those risk factors contained in Evogene's reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as their field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions.

Evogene Investor Relations Contact:
Email: ir@evogene.com
Tel: +972-8-9311901

¹ Hendriks et al. Nature Reviews Disease Primers 2024
² Passaro et al. ESMO open 2020
³ Schoenfeld et al. Annals of Oncology 2021

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SOURCE Evogene

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did Evogene (EVGN) announce on February 17, 2026 with QUT?

Evogene announced a research collaboration with QUT to design small-molecule inhibitors targeting a Cisplatin resistance pathway. According to Evogene, the work will use ChemPass AI™ and QUT biological data to generate and refine drug-like leads for resistant NSCLC.

How will ChemPass AI™ be used by Evogene (EVGN) and QUT in this collaboration?

ChemPass AI™ will generate and prioritize high-quality chemical leads with favorable drug-like properties. According to Evogene, the platform will be iteratively refined using Dr. Adams' lab biological insights for multi-parameter optimization of candidate molecules.

Which cancer and resistance mechanism are targeted by the EVGN–QUT collaboration?

The collaboration targets chemotherapy and targeted therapy–resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), specifically a novel enzymatic detoxification pathway driving Cisplatin resistance. According to Evogene, blocking this pathway aims to restore treatment sensitivity.

Does the Evogene (EVGN) announcement include clinical trial plans or timelines?

No, the announcement does not provide clinical trial timelines or clinical data. According to Evogene, the current focus is on discovery and optimization of preclinical small-molecule leads using AI and lab integration.

What are the expected near-term outputs of the Evogene (EVGN) and QUT partnership?

Near-term outputs are AI-generated and biologically prioritized small-molecule leads targeting the detoxification pathway. According to Evogene, the partnership will iterate compound design to identify candidates with strong inhibitory potential and drug-like profiles.

How could the EVGN collaboration affect investors interested in Evogene (EVGN)?

The collaboration expands Evogene's oncology pipeline and AI application to chemotherapy resistance research. According to Evogene, it may de-risk early discovery, though no financial terms, timelines, or clinical milestones were disclosed.