TandemAI, a company transforming drug discovery with state-of-the-art AI and physics-based technologies integrated with full wet lab capabilities, and Perpetual Medicines, which advances a computational design-synthesis platform for peptide drug discovery, have announced their strategic merger. The combined entity, operating under the TandemAI name, creates a comprehensive drug discovery platform spanning both small molecule and peptide-based therapeutics.
The merged company will be led by TandemAI co-founder and CEO Jeff He, MBA, with Perpetual Medicines functioning as a separate operating entity within TandemAI. Perpetual will be headed by Kerry L. Blanchard, MD, PhD, its co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Ved Srivastava, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer. Financial terms of the merger were not disclosed.
"This strategic combination is driven by TandemAI's success in commercializing its physics and AI-based platform for small molecule discovery integrated with wet-lab experimentation and the enormous emerging opportunity afforded by the convergence of high biopharma interest in next generation peptide therapeutics and advances in AI and physics-based methods that are transforming the design and optimization of peptides," said Lanny Sun, co-founder of Perpetual Medicines and co-founder of TandemAI. "Perpetual has built and validated an outstanding computational/AI platform for peptide drug discovery. The merger positions TandemAI to be a leader in these approaches as well as to explore their application to other modalities."
TandemAI brings significant commercial traction to the merger, having collaborated on small molecule discovery programs with more than 150 partners in less than four years, including biotechnology firms, multinational pharmaceutical companies, and academic institutions across the U.S., Europe, and China. More than ten client programs are expected to reach clinical trials within the next 12 months.
"TandemAI was established with a vision to transform drug discovery by enabling broad access to the most advanced AI and physics-based computational tools for integrated drug discovery," said He. "Executing on that vision, in less than four years, we have collaborated on small molecule discovery programs with more than 150 partners, including biotechnology firms, multi-national pharmaceutical companies, and academic institutions in the U.S., Europe and China. More than ten client programs are expected to reach clinical trials within the next 12 months. With Perpetual's integrated computational-synthesis platform and experienced leadership, we have a major opportunity to advance and accelerate peptide drug discovery with partners."
The merger capitalizes on the expanding global market for peptide therapeutics, particularly following the commercial success of GLP-1, IL-23, and PCSK9 drug classes. "The commercial and clinical successes of GLP-1, IL-23, and PCSK9 drug classes have greatly expanded the global commercial opportunity for peptide-based therapeutics," said Dr. Blanchard. "Our AI/computational platform is designed to capitalize on unexplored peptide chemical space to discover new therapeutics with novel attributes. The synergies we expect to realize through the merger with TandemAI, will greatly accelerate these efforts."
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