The partnership focuses on SRI's AI and automation platform, SynFini to advance the small-molecule drug discovery and development
Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. (Credit: Vysotsky/Wikipedia.)
SRI International has entered into artificial intelligence (Al) drug discovery partnership with Janssen Pharmaceutica, a company of Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
Under the partnership, the companies will jointly use SRI’s SynFini platform, which brings together Al and automation in drug discovery.
SynFini is an automated synthetic chemistry platform, designed to advance small-molecule drug discovery and development.
It contains four components, which automate the design of molecules and the synthetic manufacturing, reaction screening and optimisation (RSO), and production.
SRI biosciences division chief strategy officer and SynFini programme head Nathan Collins said: “The SynFini platform is demonstrating the ability to use Al and automation to combine complex design with rapid synthesis and testing to overcome many of the constraints of traditional drug discovery.
“We are excited to be working with the exceptional scientists at Janssen in the application and further development of this novel platform.”
According to SRI, the SynFini platform would speed up the design-make-test cycle of multi-parametric optimisation in small molecule hit-to-lead and lead optimisation.
The breakdown of a highly data-driven process in drug discovery is anticipated to help rapidly bring new drugs to the patients at a low cost.
SRI International is a non-profit research and development company focused on advanced technology and systems, biosciences, computing and education.
In July last year, the company has entered into a research collaboration with French healthcare company Sanofi, centred on its SynFini platform.