Pfizer and Flagship Pioneering Partner to Use AI-Powered Platform for New Drug Development
Charles River Laboratories will work directly with the platform.
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One of the most promising aspects of AI and its integration into the pharmaceutical industry is the technology’s potential to discover new molecules and potential therapies. Pfizer is partnering with Flagship Pioneering to combine the companies’ assets in order to bring these potential new therapies to life.1
Charles River Laboratories will begin utilizing digital health platform Logica to identify new molecule leads. Logica is owned by Flagship’s Valo Health.
In a press release, Flagship Pioneering’s president of pioneering medicines and managing partner Paul Biondi said, “Autoimmune diseases impose a substantial health burden on patients, and ongoing unmet need in the management of these conditions is driving a strong demand for more effective, safer and more personalized treatment options. Through the power of our unique partnership model with Pfizer, we will leverage Logica to help address this gap with a promising novel approach to identifying disease-modifying candidate molecules that could positively impact the current treatment landscape for these complex and diverse conditions."
In the same press release, Charles River senior vice president and chief scientific officer Professor Julie Frearson, PhD, said, “We are excited to bring the power of the Logica platform–powered by Valo and Charles River–to discover potential investigational therapies for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. Logica's proprietary AI small molecule drug discovery platform is revolutionizing the drug discovery process, and we look forward to working with the joint team at Pioneering Medicines and Pfizer to accelerate understanding of the molecular pathways involved in these diseases to develop more targeted and effective therapies for patients."
In February of this year, Flagship announced that Paul Owen had been appointed as CEO-Partner of the company.2 As part of the same announcmenet, Owen was also named as CEO of YourBio Health, a company specializing in remote blood collection.
In a press release issued at the time, Owen said, “I am pleased to have the chance to lead YourBio Health and collaborate with the exceptional and forward-thinking leadership teams at both companies. Throughout my career, I've seen the challenges created by phlebotomy–the pain, discomfort and logistical challenges for trial sponsors, patients, clinicians and healthcare organizations. I look forward to scaling and growing YourBio so this technology can help eliminate those challenges and deliver a better-quality patient experience."
In the same press release, Flagship Pioneering founder and CEO Noubar Afeyan, PhD, added, “Paul's strategic vision and leadership will be instrumental as YourBio Health continues its mission to humanize, decentralize, and transform the blood collection process, which we envision serving the entire healthcare industry. We are pleased to welcome him to the Flagship leadership network and look forward to his impact on YourBio Health."
Ignacio Martinez, general partner at Flagship Pioneering and executive chairman at YourBio, added, “There is enormous potential in making blood collection easier and more accessible to better treat and preempt diseases. Now is the moment for YourBio to build on the demonstrated utility of its technology, and Paul is the right leader to meet that moment."
Sources
- Flagship Pioneering Announces Agreement Between Pioneering Medicines and Pfizer to Discover Potential Novel, Selective Inhibitors for Autoimmune Disease. Flagship Pioneering. April 1, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flagship-pioneering-announces-agreement-between-pioneering-medicines-and-pfizer-to-discover-potential-novel-selective-inhibitors-for-autoimmune-disease-302415941.html
- Flagship Pioneering Appoints Paul Owen as CEO-Partner and CEO of YourBio Health. Flagship Pioneering. February 19, 2025. Accessed April 1, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flagship-pioneering-appoints-paul-owen-as-ceo-partner-and-ceo-of-yourbio-health-302379939.html
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