Bayer and Recursion Focus Research Collaboration on Oncology
The oncology-focused collaboration will leverage Bayer’s small molecule compound library and expertise in biology and medicinal chemistry as well as Recursion’s purpose-built artificial intelligence-guided drug discovery platform. This strategic shift will enable Bayer to utilize Recursion’s capabilities to initiate and advance the identification of novel therapeutic targets for challenging oncology indications with high unmet need.
“The methodology in which Recursion uses artificial intelligence (AI) in drug discovery, could be one of the most disruptive technologies of our time,” said
Bayer’s strategic approach in oncology is based on precision drug development which enables fast identification of the most promising targets and commercially viable programs. The company is continuously working to find new ways of treating cancer, so that patients do not necessarily need to undergo life-changing and invasive treatments. Artificial intelligence and the use of machine learning methods allow the processing of enormous amounts of data - including high-resolution imaging - and offers unprecedented potential for the discovery of new drug candidates for cancer and other complex diseases.
"Every cancer is different and requires an individual approach," said
Recursion’s drug discovery platform navigates over five trillion biological and chemical relationships within one of the world's largest proprietary datasets. The system integrates scaled 'wet-lab' biology and chemistry data with computational tools, using advanced machine learning technologies to industrialize drug discovery by validating and advancing therapeutic programs efficiently and with minimal bias. Their dataset, which includes information from 50 different human cell types and a ~1.7 million small molecule library, is supported by BioHive-1, a TOP500 ranked supercomputer.
“We believe that the next generation of biopharma leaders will operate at the convergence of rigorous science, scaled datasets and accelerated computing,” said
Under the terms of the agreement, the companies may initiate up to seven oncology programs and Recursion is eligible to receive potential, success-based, future payments of up to
Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer AG, led Recursion’s Series D financing in 2020 with an investment of
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of
About Recursion
Recursion (NASDAQ: RXRX) is a clinical stage TechBio company leading the space by decoding biology to industrialize drug discovery. Enabling its mission is the Recursion OS, a platform built across diverse technologies that continuously expands one of the world’s largest proprietary biological and chemical datasets. Recursion leverages sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to distill from its dataset a collection of trillions of searchable relationships across biology and chemistry unconstrained by human bias. By commanding massive experimental scale — up to millions of wet lab experiments weekly — and massive computational scale — owning and operating one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, Recursion is uniting technology, biology and chemistry to advance the future of medicine. Learn more at www.Recursion.com, or connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
Additionally, this document contains information that includes or is based upon "forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, those regarding the outcomes and benefits expected from the amended agreement between Bayer and Recursion. Forward-looking statements may or may not include identifying words such as “plan,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “potential,” “could,” “continue,” and similar terms. These statements are subject to known or unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements, including but not limited to those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Recursion’s filings with the
Lisa Hennig Bayer Media Contact +49 1728693420 lisa.hennig@bayer.comRyan Kelly Recursion Media Contact +16104421896 ryan.kelly@recursion.com
Recursion Pharmaceuticals