PR93697

LONDON, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN / --

- Novel target for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was discovered using

BenevolentAI's AI-drug discovery platform and experimentally validated by

AstraZeneca

- Announcement represents the second collaboration milestone following the

addition of a novel chronic kidney disease target to AstraZeneca's portfolio in

Q1 2021

BenevolentAI, a leading clinical-stage AI drug discovery company, announced

that AstraZeneca has added a novel target for idiopathic pulmonary  fibrosis

(IPF), discovered using BenevolentAI's platform, to its drug development

portfolio. This is the second novel target from the collaboration that has been

identified, validated, and selected for AstraZeneca's portfolio.

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BenevolentAI's strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca began in 2019, and

currently focuses on discovering potential new treatments for IPF and chronic

kidney disease (CKD).  The innovative collaboration structure sees scientists

and technologists from the two companies working side-by-side, combining the

Benevolent Platform(tm) -- an AI-driven drug discovery platform -- and

biomedical knowledge graph with AstraZeneca's scientific expertise and rich

datasets.

IPF is a chronic and ultimately fatal disease that causes lung tissue to

stiffen, leading to permanent lung scarring that makes it harder to breathe. As

IPF progresses, patients often need oxygen and, in some cases, lung

transplantation. With a median survival of approximately 3 years, the prognosis

can be devastating, and there is a clear unmet need for better treatments.

Dr Anne Phelan, Chief Scientific Officer of BenevolentAI, commented, "The cause

of IPF is largely unknown and the exact mechanisms involved in the progression

of IPF remain elusive. Our collaboration uses advanced AI to enable expert

scientists to navigate this challenging disease landscape, and discover novel

targets with the potential to treat the underlying causes and prevent disease

progression. This second, important milestone in our collaboration with

AstraZeneca is further evidence of how our Platform can deliver tangible

scientific results in the most complex therapeutic areas."

Professor Maria Belvisi, SVP and Head of Research and Early Development,

Respiratory and Immunology at AstraZeneca commented: "At AstraZeneca we aim to

target the underlying disease drivers in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) to

stop fibrosis in its tracks, promote tissue regeneration and enable people with

IPF to live life without limits. Our ongoing collaboration with BenevolentAI

has enabled us to leverage the world's available scientific literature and our

in-house experiments, all brought together through machine learning to identify

previously unrecognised links. I'm proud that this collaboration has delivered

the first artificial intelligence driven IPF target to AstraZeneca's

portfolio."

The strength of the collaboration was also recognised at the prestigious Scrip

Awards in December 2021, where BenevolentAI and AstraZeneca won the 'Best

Partnership Alliance' category. Notably, the award honours the industry's

highest-achieving partnerships, focusing on the most mutually beneficial, that

have the most strategic potential and are most innovative in their structure.

About BenevolentAI

BenevolentAI is a leading, clinical-stage AI drug discovery company. Through

the combined capabilities of its AI platform, scientific expertise and wet-lab

facilities, BenevolentAI is well-positioned to deliver novel drug candidates

with a higher probability of clinical success than those developed using

traditional methods. BenevolentAI has a consistently proven track record of

scientifically validated discoveries. The BenevolentAI Platform™ powers a

growing in-house pipeline of over 20 drug programmes, spanning from target

discovery to clinical studies, and it maintains successful commercial

collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies. BenevolentAI also

identified Eli Lilly's baricitinib as a repurposing drug candidate for

COVID-19, which has been authorised for emergency use by the FDA. BenevolentAI

is headquartered in London, with a research facility in Cambridge (UK) and a

further office in New York.

Media

Rajin Kang - VP Communications

rajin.kang@benevolent.ai

SOURCE  BenevolentAI