CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Iambic said it has entered into a multi-year technology and discovery collaboration with Takeda aimed at advancing the design and development of small molecule drug candidates using artificial intelligence, with initial programs focused on oncology and gastrointestinal and inflammation therapeutic areas.
Under the agreement, Takeda will leverage Iambic’s AI-driven drug discovery platform and integrated wet lab capabilities to advance a select group of high-priority small molecule programs. As part of the collaboration, Takeda will also gain access to NeuralPLexer, Iambic’s proprietary model for predicting protein–ligand complexes, which is intended to help accelerate drug discovery and development efforts.
Iambic said the collaboration will combine its computational models with fully integrated, high-throughput, and automated laboratory capabilities, supporting a rapid design–make–test–analyze workflow intended to shorten development timelines and improve candidate selection.
“Our collaboration with Takeda is a powerful opportunity to apply our AI-driven discovery and development platform, and we are excited to partner with their team to quickly advance new and better drug candidates,” said Tom Miller, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Iambic. “This collaboration further validates our technology and highlights both the breadth of our discovery capabilities and the scale at which we can operate.”
Takeda said the partnership aligns with its strategy to apply advanced technologies to accelerate the development of new medicines.
“We are excited to be able to access Iambic’s proprietary computational platform while we work with their team to develop small molecule therapeutics with the potential to address critical unmet patient needs,” said Chris Arendt, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and head of research at Takeda. “At Takeda, our focus is on accelerating the development of impactful new medicines by leveraging cutting-edge science, including the latest advances in artificial intelligence. Iambic’s small molecule platform aligns with this ambition and offers the potential to de-risk candidate selection, improve probability of success, and more quickly advance select programs from early project start to IND.”
Financial terms of the agreement include upfront payments, research cost reimbursements, and technology access fees for Iambic. The company is also eligible to receive success-based payments that could exceed $1.7 billion, as well as royalties on net sales of any products that result from the collaboration.
