Variational AI, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery, has announced a project with Merck Research Labs. The project will evaluate Variational AI’s Enki™ platform’s ability to design novel small molecules for drug development. The Enki™ platform uses AI to generate new, selective, and synthesizable structures for drug discovery, speeding up the process. The collaboration is supported by the CQDM Quantum Leap program. Handol Kim, CEO of Variational AI, highlighted that the adoption of AI for drug discovery is accelerating.
Variational AI and Merck Collaborate on Generative AI Project
Variational AI, a company specializing in the development of the Enki™ generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform for drug discovery, has announced a project with Merck Research Labs. This collaboration is supported by the CQDM Quantum Leap program.
Handol Kim, CEO of Variational AI, expressed his pleasure at having Merck as an early-access user of the Enki™ Platform. Merck will evaluate the platform’s ability to generate novel small molecules on targets of their choosing. The Enki™ platform is a foundation model that generates novel, selective, and synthesizable lead-like structures. It designs novel molecules in a similar way to how other generative AI foundation models like DALL-E and Midjourney create novel images based on text prompts. In this case, a target product profile (TPP) is used as the series of prompts to describe the molecules in the language of chemistry. Enki™ then rapidly generates structures that meet the TPP.
The Role of AI in Drug Discovery
The use of AI for drug discovery is accelerating, with companies increasingly using proprietary AI to discover and develop their own assets. The Enki™ Platform offers a solution for chemists who do not wish to develop their own generative AI models. Instead, they can submit their TPPs and receive novel, diverse, selective, and synthesizable lead-like structures in a matter of days, allowing for quick progression into lead optimization.
CQDM’s Support for the Collaboration
The collaboration between Variational AI and Merck is supported by CQDM under the Quantum Leap program. CQDM is a not-for-profit biopharmaceutical research consortium that supports and facilitates multi-stakeholder collaborative R&D aimed at accelerating the translation of innovative technologies into solutions that address unmet medical needs.
Jesse Paterson, Senior Director at BD, stated that CQDM is pleased to have facilitated the establishment of collaborations for Variational AI by creating beneficial links with Merck, a global biopharmaceutical organization. These links between early-stage Canadian companies and the biopharmaceutical industry are critical for the growth of the Canadian life sciences sector.
Variational AI is a company that aims to redefine the unit economics of drug discovery and development through the power of generative AI. The company’s Enki™ Platform is a foundation model for small molecule drug discovery designed to accelerate and de-risk early-stage discovery.
CQDM is a not-for-profit biopharmaceutical research consortium. Its mission is to support and facilitate multi-stakeholder collaborative R&D aimed at accelerating the translation of innovative technologies into solutions that address unmet medical needs. It also aims to generate significant benefits for the Quebec and Canadian economy.