JAN 10 PROOF OF CONCEPT-
Absci first to create, validate de novo antibodies with zero-shot generative AI 01/10/23 ABSI Absci announced the ability to create and validate de novo antibodies in silico with the use of zero-shot generative AI - a major milestone for the biotechnology industry. The ability to create de novo therapeutic antibodies in silico could potentially reduce the time it takes to get new drug leads into the clinic from as much as six years down to just 18-24 months while also increasing their probability of success in the clinic. Absci used zero-shot generative AI - a method that involves designing antibodies to bind to specific targets without using any training data of antibodies known to bind those specific targets. Absci's model produced antibody designs that were unlike those found in existing antibody databases, and the zero-shot designs worked in the lab right out of the computer - without the slow and costly step of further optimizing the in silico designs in the lab. "Despite the technological breakthroughs of the last decade, the process of drug discovery has remained relatively archaic. Our success in creating brand new antibodies on a computer unlocks the potential to create transformative therapies at a click of a button for patients," said Sean McClain, founder and CEO of Absci. "Generative AI used in conjunction with innovative synthetic biology can now be harnessed to have real-world impacts for patients." Absci further demonstrated its wet lab's ability to experimentally validate the superiority of de novo antibody candidates to bind to the target antigen - all without lead optimization of the in silico designs - in cycle times as little as six weeks. Absci validated antibodies for HER2 and multiple additional targets.