Partnership will leverage OpenBench’s AI-enabled screening platform to complement 858’s early discovery efforts
858 Therapeutics and OpenBench today announced a collaboration to discover small molecule inhibitors using OpenBench’s structure-based machine learning platform. The collaboration will focus initially on an undisclosed target nominated by 858 Therapeutics.
Under the terms of the agreement, OpenBench and 858 will collaborate on drug discovery activities through hit validation. OpenBench will be responsible for identifying novel and developable chemical series, which 858 will characterize and validate using proprietary biochemical, biophysical, and cellular assays. OpenBench is eligible to receive a success-based milestone payment for novel chemotypes that meet specific molecular properties defined by 858 Therapeutics. 858 will gain full and exclusive rights to any purchased chemotypes and will be solely responsible for their further research and development. Detailed financial terms were not disclosed.
“We are excited to launch this collaboration with OpenBench,” said Jeffrey Stafford, Ph.D., CEO of 858 Therapeutics. “Through its proprietary AI platform, the OpenBench team has built a track record of identifying novel, tractable chemical matter against challenging targets.”
“858 has an innovative pipeline borne of deep biological insight into novel targets,” said Lewis Martin, Ph.D., CSO of OpenBench. “We are thrilled to apply our specialized discovery approach to enrich their vision of bringing new therapies to patients.”
