Computer-based drug developer e-Therapeutics PLC (LON:ETX) has signed collaboration deals which will enhance and extend its artificial intelligence (AI) technology capabilities.
Both Intellegens and Biorelate have AI tools which, after pilot studies, have been shown to complement ETX’s existing computational network-driven drug discovery (NDD) technology.
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Intellegens is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge that has developed a unique AI method for training neural networks from incomplete data.
The tie-up will allow ETX to apply Intellegens' technology to the predication and error correction of large-scale biological and chemical data and will enhance ETX’s existing proprietary databases.
The tech will also be used to develop a novel computationally guided approach to medicinal chemistry.
As for Manchester-based Biorelate, it uses AI to create databases by analysing published literature around a certain topic – digging out the most important and relevant pieces of information from masses of research journals and papers.
The aim of the collaboration is to directly feed this knowledge into e-Therapeutics' NDD engine which should help in the pursuit of novel disease mechanisms.
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“We already utilize machine learning heavily in our discovery platform to augment empirical biological and chemical data,” said ETX's head of discovery informatics Jonny Wray.
“These partnerships will enhance and extend our internal capabilities via collaborations with companies at the cutting edge of AI research and application.”