GSK links with AI spinout to cut costs and speed drug discovery

In a second deal with a pharma major in as many months, Exscientia, an innovative company at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery, has entered into a strategic drug discovery collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK).

During this collaboration, Exscientia, a spin-out from Dundee University, will apply its AI enabled platform and combine this with the expertise of GSK, in order to discover novel and selective small molecules for up to 10 disease-related targets, nominated by GSK across multiple therapeutic areas.

Exscientia will receive research payments from GSK to undertake new discovery programmes with nominated targets with the goal of delivering pre-clinical candidates. In addition to research funding, Exscientia is eligible to receive near-term lead and pre-clinical candidate milestones if all objectives are achieved. The total amount payable by GSK to Exscientia on achieving these milestones is £33 million ($43 million), if all 10 projects are advanced. No further financial details have been disclosed.