On March 10, 2022 Exscientia (Nasdaq: EXAI) and the University of Oxford Target Discovery Institute (Oxford TDI) reported the formation of Xcellomics – a program designed to source cellular functional assays from the global academic community to develop novel screens and identify targets and therapeutic candidates for unmet medical needs (Press release, Exscientia, MAR 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234609920]).
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The Xcellomics program was created by the two Oxford-based institutions to expedite early-stage drug discovery research – primarily conducted within academic labs – and potentially leverage those outputs to bring therapies to patients sooner. The program offers applicants resources to explore, identify and rapidly advance novel drug targets by leveraging Oxford TDI’s expertise in developing robust, disease-relevant, predictive screening assays and Exscientia’s AI personalised medicine design capabilities.
"Academic research has and will continue to play a critical role in the development and advancement of medicine, and this partnership is a shining example of how industry and academia can come together to bridge a traditional gap in the drug development cycle," said Sir Peter Ratcliffe, FRS, FMedSci, Director of the Oxford TDI within the Nuffield Department of Medicine and winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine. "Despite the multitude of advancements in using genetics, genomics, cell and chemical biology to improve target discovery, we believe we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of available assays that could be translated into meaningful therapies for patients."
Assay submissions will be evaluated and selected by the Xcellomics Scientific Committee and will be developed, produced and validated within Oxford TDI’s advanced cell screening facility using a range of phenotypic and functional genomic outputs that leverage Exscientia’s technology platform. The Xcellomics Board provides oversight and is comprised of members from Exscientia and Oxford TDI, and is chaired by Exscientia’s founder and CEO, Andrew Hopkins, DPhil.
Successful projects will be progressed using Exscientia’s proprietary AI-driven platform with the aim of rapidly identifying potential targets for potential new medicine programmes. Therapeutic area focus will rotate every six months, beginning with a focus on oncology and immuno-oncology, although "blue sky" submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis. Data and intellectual property will be co-owned by the researcher and the Xcellomics program.
"Exscientia’s roots started in academia, and we remain committed to supporting and advancing the innovative research happening at these institutions around the world," said Denise Barrault, Director, Portfolio Management at Exscientia. "We believe that our partnership with the University of Oxford Target Discovery Institute will help unearth new science and potentially translate and advance the most promising ideas into tomorrow’s new medicines."
An online informational event will be held Wednesday, March 23 at 1:00 p.m. GMT. More information on the event can be found at : View Source