Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) has announced a collaboration with Valo Health to discover and develop novel treatments for cardiometabolic using Valo’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Opal Computational Platform.
Under the agreement, the two organizations will leverage Opal for access to real-world patient data, AI-enabled small molecule discovery and Biowire human tissue modelling platform designed to speed up the discovery and development process.
Valo’s preclinical capabilities enable the identification and validation of novel druggable targets, as well as the development of drug candidates against these targets, and can help predict compound safety and efficacy, the companies said.
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) said it is also licensing three preclinical drug discovery programs in cardiovascular diseases discovered and developed by the Opal Computational Platform.
“Artificial Intelligence and machine learning hold the promise to positively impact drug discovery and development, in particular enabling our vision of leveraging human datasets early in the process, which should lead to a better understanding of target biology,” commented Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) executive vice president and chief scientific officer Marcus Schindler.
“Valo brings a differentiated and powerful approach to using these technologies on real-world human data to generate new insights and translate them into potential therapeutics for the benefit of patients suffering from cardiometabolic conditions.”
Under the terms of the deal, Valo will receive an upfront payment and a potential near-term milestone payment, totalling US$60. It is eligible to receive milestone payments for up to 11 programmes, totalling up to US$2.7 billion, plus research and development (R&D) funding and potential royalty payments.
The companies noted that the partnership may extend into activities spanning the entire drug discovery continuum, adding that they plan to work together to derive novel insights from human genetic and longitudinal patient data in cardiovascular disease.
“Partnering with Novo Nordisk, a leader in cardiometabolic disease, creates a unique opportunity to continue to deploy our Opal Computational Platform™ at scale in the discovery and development of novel cardiometabolic therapeutics,” Valo CEO and founder David Berry added.
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