Cellular Intelligence’s AI-native platform to compress traditional process development for the pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor therapy.
Novo Nordisk has granted Cellular Intelligence rights to its cell therapy programme for Parkinson’s, who under the agreement, will apply its AI foundation model to optimise and scale its development.
Cellular Intelligence’s technology is set to reduce traditional cell therapy process development and manufacturing timelines and streamline the path to commercialisation. The model is trained on data spanning millions of unique perturbation conditions.
Novo Nordisk’s programme covers an allogeneic pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor therapy, currently in a first-in-human Phase I/II clinical trial. Under the agreement, the firm is eligible for future milestones and royalties from Cellular Intelligence.
Micha Breakstone, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Cellular Intelligence said: “This cell therapy Parkinson’s programme is truly innovative and exemplifies the powerful convergence of exciting academic discovery with the uncompromising quality of a global pharmaceutical leader, and we are honoured to carry the programme into its next chapter.”
This collaboration aligns with regulators advancing their AI strategy. In January, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jointly proposed ten principles for good AI practice.
The convergence of developmental biology and genomics, and the possibility of combining this with AI on a single platform, provide an exciting opportunity in medicine in general, and for the cell therapy field in particular”
Jacob Petersen, Senior Vice President, Global Research, Novo Nordisk, said: “The convergence of developmental biology and genomics, and the possibility of combining this with AI on a single platform, provide an exciting opportunity in medicine in general, and for the cell therapy field in particular.”
In February, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), another pharmaceutical company, made an AI-focused deal to optimise clinical trials. Like Novo Nordisk’s latest collaboration, BMS’ partnership with technology provider Evinova is also geared towards accelerating timelines and boosting cost efficiency.
Alongside its current deal, Novo Nordisk recently signed a $2.1 billion licensing deal to advance next-generation oral therapies, including its blockbuster GLP-1 obesity therapy Wegovy (semaglutide).
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