Harbour BioMed and Insilico Medicine partner to advance AI-driven antibody discovery

NETHERLANDS – Harbour BioMed, a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in antibody therapeutics for immunology and oncology, has announced a strategic partnership with Insilico Medicine, a biotechnology company using AI for drug discovery.

This collaboration aims to accelerate the development of next-generation antibody therapies by combining Harbour BioMed’s expertise in antibody development with Insilico’s AI-driven drug discovery technologies.

Harnessing AI for antibody innovation

Under this agreement, both companies will integrate their strengths to create an advanced AI-powered antibody discovery platform.

Harbour BioMed will contribute its proprietary technology and data, including its Harbour Mice platform, which generates fully human monoclonal antibodies in both H2L2 and heavy chain-only (HCAb) formats.

This unique technology eliminates the need for additional engineering or humanization and allows for smaller, more effective antibodies that can be used in cutting-edge treatments.

Meanwhile, Insilico Medicine will apply its AI-based drug discovery tools, including its Generative Biologics platform, which was launched in July 2024 to speed up protein engineering.

With a track record of reducing drug development costs and enhancing efficiency, Insilico has built a pipeline of 30 AI-powered drug candidates, 10 of which have received regulatory approval for clinical trials.

Aiming for breakthrough therapies

Both companies believe that integrating AI with antibody research will significantly enhance drug discovery.

Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO of Harbour BioMed, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating: “By combining our validated Harbour Mice platform with advanced generative AI approaches, we aim to further streamline antibody discovery, enhance candidate selection, and ultimately bring innovative therapies to patients more efficiently.”

Feng Ren, PhD, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, emphasized the transformative role of AI in antibody development, explaining: “AI platforms enable the prediction of antibody structures, identification of binding sites, and design of candidates with enhanced specificity, efficacy, and safety.

High-quality datasets and wet-lab validation are critical in this process, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Harbour BioMed, who excel in these areas.”

Through this partnership, Harbour BioMed and Insilico aim to develop novel antibody treatments for immunology, oncology, and neuroscience.