Schrödinger Announces Strategic Collaboration and Software Agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb to Deploy AI Co-Scientist Bunsen for Agentic Drug Discovery

Key Terms

agentic ai co-scientist technical

An agentic AI co-scientist is an artificial intelligence system built to act with some autonomy alongside human researchers, carrying out tasks such as designing experiments, analyzing results, proposing hypotheses, and planning next steps. Picture a lab partner that can work continuously, suggest follow-up tests, and prioritize tasks based on goals. It matters to investors because it can change research speed, costs, and the likelihood of discovering viable products by reshaping how R&D time and capital are used.

physics-based computational platform technical

A physics-based computational platform is software that uses mathematical models of physical laws (like mechanics, fluid flow, heat transfer or electromagnetism) to simulate how real-world systems behave. Think of it as a digital wind tunnel or flight simulator that lets engineers test designs and predict performance without building physical prototypes. For investors, these platforms can shorten development time, lower testing costs, and reveal technical risks or advantages that affect a company’s product pipeline and capital needs.

retrosynthetic analysis technical

A planning method chemists use to design how to make a target molecule by working backwards from that molecule to simpler starting materials, like reverse-engineering a recipe to list the steps and ingredients needed. It matters to investors because efficient retrosynthetic plans can shorten development time, lower manufacturing costs, and reduce technical risk when a company moves a drug candidate from concept into production.

synthetic feasibility technical

An assessment of whether a chemical compound or drug candidate can be made reliably, safely, and affordably at laboratory and commercial scales. It looks at the steps, materials, yields, time, and regulatory constraints needed to turn a laboratory result into a manufacturable product — like checking whether a recipe can be scaled from a home kitchen to a restaurant. Investors watch it because it affects development cost, timelines and the practicality of bringing a product to market.

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR) today announced a strategic agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) to deploy Bunsen, Schrödinger's agentic AI co-scientist, within its research organization. Building on a long-standing partnership with BMS where they routinely utilize Schrödinger’s industry-leading computational platform, the new agreement significantly expands the application of Schrödinger’s platform, empowering BMS scientists to explore more scientific possibilities, prioritize molecules with greater confidence, and accelerate discovery decisions.

Under the agreement, Schrödinger will collaborate with BMS scientists on developing novel functionality within Bunsen in conjunction with its computational technologies designed to enable large-scale chemical exploration as well as with RetroSynth, its AI-driven synthesis planning platform. Unlike general-purpose agents, Bunsen is optimized to execute Schrödinger's validated, physics-based computational platform by planning and running complex molecular discovery workflows and interpreting the results.

“BMS is a long-standing customer and collaborator, and they have been an industry leader in integrating computation into drug discovery. We are thrilled they are deploying Bunsen at a large scale,” said Robert Abel, Chief Scientific Officer, Platform, of Schrödinger. “Adopting Bunsen and our computational platform at scale will empower a broader group of scientists to embrace a predict-first computational approach.”

“Over the past several years, AI has become a key enabler for our scientists, allowing them to scale their creativity and scientific expertise across our research organization,” said Stephen Johnson, Vice President, Computational Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb. “Bunsen is another capability we are adding to that toolkit, one that allows our scientists to think differently about how physics-based tools can be used to navigate molecular design space and accelerate the discovery of innovative medicines for patients.”

About Bunsen

Bunsen is Schrödinger’s agentic AI co-scientist, built specifically for molecular discovery. Optimized to execute Schrödinger’s validated computational methods, Bunsen helps researchers understand scientific objectives, plan computational strategies, execute sophisticated discovery workflows, and interpret results. By combining AI with physics-based simulation, Bunsen makes advanced computational methods more accessible and enables research teams to evaluate more hypotheses, systematically explore broader chemical space, and make higher-confidence decisions prior to experimental testing. To learn more about Bunsen and sign up for priority access, visit the company’s Bunsen webpage.

About Retrosynth

RetroSynth is Schrödinger’s AI-driven synthesis planning platform designed to rapidly evaluate synthetic feasibility and optimize route selection. RetroSynth integrates real-time intelligence across billions of building blocks to predict plausible, bench-ready synthetic pathways. By coupling automated retrosynthetic analysis with molecular design, RetroSynth enables high-throughput evaluation of large chemical spaces, helping ensure computationally prioritized molecules can be efficiently synthesized in the laboratory.

About Schrödinger

Schrödinger is transforming molecular discovery with its computational platform, which enables the discovery of novel, highly optimized molecules for drug development and materials design. Schrödinger’s software platform is built on more than 30 years of R&D investment and is licensed by biotechnology, pharmaceutical and industrial companies, and academic institutions around the world. Schrödinger also leverages the platform to advance a portfolio of collaborative and proprietary programs. To learn more, visit www.schrodinger.com, follow us on LinkedIn, or visit our blog, Extrapolations.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, but not limited to those statements regarding the potential advantages of Schrödinger’s computational platform, including the capabilities and potential advantages of Bunsen, its AI co-scientist, expectations relating to the use of Bunsen by BMS at scale, the potential development of novel functionality within Bunsen, and the successful deployment of Bunsen within BMS’s research organization. Statements including words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Schrödinger’s current views about its plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to the company and on assumptions the company has made. Actual results may differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements and are subject to a variety of assumptions, uncertainties, risks and important factors that are beyond Schrödinger’s control, including its ability to further develop its computational platform, its reliance on third-party providers of cloud-based infrastructures to host its software solutions, and the ability to retain and hire key personnel on its business and other risks detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 5, 2026, as well as future filings and reports by the company. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, Schrödinger undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260805227219/en/

Jaren Madden (Investors and Media)
Schrödinger, Inc.
jaren.madden@schrodinger.com
617-286-6264

Matthew Luchini (Investors)
Schrödinger, Inc.
matthew.luchini@schrodinger.com
917-719-0636

Theresa Masnik (Media)
SHIFT Communications
schrodingerpr@shiftcomm.com
508-395-7416

Source: Schrödinger