Thursday, September 12, 2019
Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Company Limited (“Hansoh Pharma”), a leading biopharmaceutical company in China, and Atomwise, Inc. (“Atomwise”), the leader in artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery, have announced a collaboration to design and discover potential drug candidates for up to eleven undisclosed target proteins in multiple therapeutic areas.
Scientific teams from Atomwise and Hansoh Pharma will work closely together on the programs. The combination of complementary expertise and technologies has the potential to dramatically increase success and compress timelines for drug discovery and clinical development.
“Atomwise is the right partner for Hansoh Pharma to innovate using AI technology and generate a diverse pipeline of small molecules for oncology and other therapeutic areas,” said Aifeng Lyu, Ph.D., President of Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hansoh Pharma. “We have been very impressed by Atomwise’s AI platform, capabilities, and team, and by working together we believe there are exceptional opportunities to develop first in-class and best in-class therapies.”
“We are excited to partner with Hansoh Pharma, the leading biopharma in China,” said Dr. Abraham Heifets, CEO of Atomwise. “Hansoh Pharma shares our strong commitment to innovation and mission for global impact on patient health” he added.
Atomwise’s world-class AI platform for structure-based drug design will direct hit discovery, hit-to-lead selection, and lead optimization efforts. Hansoh Pharma will contribute its capabilities in biological assays and medicinal chemistry, as well as lead subsequent preclinical and clinical development activities.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Atomwise will receive undisclosed technology access fees, option exercise fees, royalties, and income based on sublicensing or sale of assets created under the collaboration. Based on historical average revenues for small molecule drugs, the total potential value of the deal to Atomwise with success in all projects could be in excess of blockbuster potential. Hansoh Pharma will receive rights for development and commercialization in all fields and geographies.
