Pierre Fabre and XtalPi Partner on AI-Driven Drug Discovery
Les Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and XtalPi have agreed to collaborate on discovering clinical candidates for oncology research programs, with potential applications in dermatology and rare diseases. XtalPi will use artificial intelligence and robotics to design small-molecule treatments against undisclosed targets.
- Pierre Fabre and XtalPi will collaborate on several oncology research programs.
- XtalPi will use AI and robotics to design small-molecule treatments.
- The targets and precise financial terms were not disclosed.
- Pierre Fabre will select compounds and handle later clinical and commercial development.
AI and robotics will support molecule design
Under the agreement, XtalPi will apply its integrated AI capabilities and robotic platform to de novo design and propose new small-molecule treatments. The companies have not disclosed the targets involved.
The collaboration will focus on several research programs in oncology. It may also extend to dermatology and rare diseases, according to the announcement. The partners said they are interested in complex targets that have historically been difficult to treat, areas associated with significant unmet medical needs and opportunities for drug discovery.
Pierre Fabre will lead selection and development
Les Laboratoires Pierre Fabre will contribute expertise in medical biology, preclinical research, translational research and clinical development. The French pharmaceutical company will use that expertise to select and propose the most promising compounds.
Pierre Fabre will also be responsible for subsequent clinical and commercial development. The company said the agreement adds strategic support to its research and development roadmap and strengthens its drug discovery capabilities.
For XtalPi, the partnership supports its effort to apply AI and robotics to de novo drug discovery. Together, the companies aim to accelerate the identification of clinical candidates across multiple oncology research programs and potentially in other therapeutic areas.
Financial terms remain undisclosed
The agreement includes an upfront payment, multiple milestone payments and participation in downstream profits. The precise financial terms were not disclosed.
Raymond Zheng, XtalPi's Head of Integrated Drug Discovery, said the partnership combines XtalPi's AI and robotics expertise with Pierre Fabre's therapeutic development expertise. Francesco Hofmann, director of Research and Development for Pierre Fabre's Medical Care division, said using XtalPi's AI expertise to speed the delivery of high-quality clinical candidates against multiple targets is important to the company's R&D, data and AI roadmap and its discovery engine.
What the collaboration means for drug discovery
The agreement brings together two distinct parts of the drug development process. XtalPi will focus on computational and robotic molecule discovery, while Pierre Fabre will assess compounds through its biology and development capabilities and take responsibility for later clinical and commercial work.
The announcement does not identify specific drug candidates, targets or clinical results. Its immediate significance is the creation of a joint pathway for exploring difficult-to-treat targets, with oncology as the central focus and dermatology and rare diseases as potential additional areas.
