Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute has announced a new partnership with Ability Biologics, aiming to accelerate AI innovations in antibody discovery and development.
The collaboration unites Mila with Ability's prowess in immunology and antibody engineering, potentially transforming the landscape of therapeutic development from research to clinical applications.
Ability Biologics, a Quebec-based company, leads the field in applying generative AI to therapeutic discovery. Their AbiLeap™ discovery engine generates novel, fully human antibodies capable of targeting specific tissues and cells based on local microenvironments.
"This partnership provides a significant opportunity to merge AI capabilities, enabling safer and more efficacious antibody therapeutics," said Giles Day, CEO of Ability Biologics. "Our efforts could lead to multiple clinical drug candidates addressing unmet needs in immune dysfunction-related diseases."
The collaboration leverages Ability's extensive database of antibody-antigen interactions, built over five years from public and proprietary sources. This data, combined with Mila's cutting-edge AI research, could accelerate the development of logic-gated antibodies that respond to environmental signals within cellular microenvironments.
Stéphane Létourneau, Executive Vice-President of Mila, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: "Mila is pleased to welcome Ability to its community of partners. This collaboration can open new opportunities for Ability in developing therapeutic solutions for patients in Quebec and beyond."
The partnership highlights the growing intersection of AI and biotechnology, potentially leading to more targeted and effective treatments for immune-related disorders, including cancer. By combining multiple binding modalities in single molecules, the collaboration aims to push the boundaries of current antibody therapeutics.