• Almirall selects second target in AI Drug Creation collaboration
• Expanded collaboration builds on Absci’s successful de novo molecule design for difficult‑to‑drug targets in the first stage of the collaboration with Almirall

Almirall (BME: ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on medical dermatology, and Absci Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing breakthrough therapeutics with generative AI, announced the expansion of their ongoing AI Drug Discovery collaboration with Almirall’s selection of a second target aimed at dermatological indications.

The expansion of the collaboration follows the successful delivery of AI-designed, functional antibody leads against a difficult-to-drug target—the first target addressed within the initial collaboration between Almirall and Absci. The collaboration, originally announced in November 2023, combines Absci’s Integrated Drug Creation™ platform with Almirall’s dermatology expertise to accelerate the development of novel and breakthrough therapeutics for chronic and debilitating skin diseases.

“Using advanced AI capabilities to design therapeutic candidates against historically challenging disease targets is a highly promising approach and Absci´s de-novo AI platform capabilities have already demonstrated early success” said Dr. Karl Ziegelbauer, Chief Scientific Officer at Almirall. “We are pleased to expand our collaboration as we continue to harness AI to help us develop innovative treatments for patients living with severe skin conditions.”

Under the terms of the collaboration, Absci is leveraging its generative AI platform combined with its wet lab capabilities to design and validate therapeutic candidates, while Almirall leads the preclinical and clinical development programs of those candidates. Absci is eligible to receive up to approximately $650 million in upfront, R&D, and post-approval milestone payments across both programs, plus royalties on potential product sales.

“The progress in our collaboration is a testament that AI de novo drug design is a successful approach to unlock novel biology where traditional drug discovery approaches have failed,” said Sean McClain, Founder and CEO of Absci. “We’re proud of this milestone and excited to deepen our collaboration with Almirall with the goal of bringing a new generation of AI-created therapeutics for dermatology patients.”

The expansion of the collaboration to include a second program is at the heart of the shared commitment of both companies - to accelerate innovation in dermatology by using generative AI to enable new therapeutic approaches.