Exscientia and Bayer have mutually decided agreed to call it quits on their AI-collaboration, despite recently reaching a "successful drug discovery milestone," said Exscientia in a quarterly earnings report.
UK-based Exscientia will still have the option to develop one of the two targets pursued under the collaboration.
The partnership was inked in Jan. 2020, when Bayer paid $243 million to use Exscientia's AI-design services to accelerate the discovery of small molecule drugs focused on cardiovascular disease and oncology.
According to Exscientia, the Bayer agreement was the last Exscientia partnership based on AI-only design services, which included lower economics and reduced operational involvement in comparison with more recent partnerships. Instead, Exscientia says it will increase its focus on programs where its AI design, experimental biology and precision medicine platforms can be integrated.
Back in Jan., Exscientia signed a potential $5.2 billion deal with Sanofi to leverage AI-based capabilities to develop up to 15 novel small molecule candidates across oncology and immunology. Exscientia has a similar deal in the works with Bristol Myers Squibb.