Incyte, Genesis Therapeutics to Use AI Platform to Discover Small Molecule Compounds

Incyte, of Wilmington, Del., has announced a strategic collaboration with California-based Genesis Therapeutics for the purposes of researching, discovering, and developing novel small-molecule medicines, making use of generative and predictive artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help create therapeutics for various targets (1).

According to a Feb. 20, 2025 press release, the targets selected for the collaboration will be chosen by Incyte, and Genesis’ proprietary AI platform, known as GEMS (Genesis Exploration of Molecular Space), will be used to discover and optimize small-molecule compounds for those targets (1).

“AI has the potential to redefine how we discover small molecule medicines, and our team is at the forefront of this revolution,” said Evan Feinberg, PhD, founder and CEO of Genesis, in the press release. “We are pleased to establish this world-class partnership to combine our GEMS AI platform with Incyte’s deep expertise and track record in drug discovery and development, with the shared goal of advancing critical treatments for patients with severe diseases.”

Incyte will retain exclusive rights for potential clinical development and commercialization of any products to be produced as a result of the collaboration, according to the release (1).

“As a leader in pharmaceutical innovation, Incyte is continually seeking new technologies that can transform how new medicines are discovered and developed,” said Pablo J. Cagnoni, MD, president and head of R&D at Incyte, in the press release. “Partnering with Genesis Therapeutics presents a unique opportunity to leverage their AI technologies to accelerate the discovery of breakthrough small molecules for high-impact targets in our pipeline.”

Bio/pharma industry experts have told Pharmaceutical Technology® that the rise of AI was one of the key market trends of 2024, and it will continue to be through 2025, but that it is still “in its infancy” and must be improved upon using a data-driven approach (2). Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, and their related industries are regarded as crucially important to developing AI regulations (3).

And as the first quarter of 2025 progresses, the industry is continuing to adapt. ArisGlobal, a Boston-based life sciences technology company, announced on February 12 that it had signed the European Commission’s AI Pact, a voluntary framework to prepare stakeholders for the implementation of the European Union’s AI Act (4). And in a Google Blog post on February 19, Google introduced “AI co-scientist,” a multi-agent AI system built with Gemini 2.0, intended to be used as a collaborative tool by scientists and designed to mirror the reasoning process of the scientific method (5).

Regarding the agreement between Incyte and Genesis, the February 20 press release said Genesis would receive a $30 million upfront payment, and the two companies will collaborate on two initial targets, with Incyte authorized to nominate a third target for a predetermined fee (1). Genesis may receive up to $295 million in development, regulatory, or commercial milestone payments, per target, if all milestones are achieved, and will receive tiered royalties on sales of any products which result from the collaboration.

References

1. Incyte. Incyte and Genesis Therapeutics Announce Strategic AI-focused Research Collaboration. Press Release. Feb. 20, 2025.
2. Thomas, F. Industry Outlook 2025: Experts Weigh in on the Most Impactful Trends for Industry. PharmTech.com, Feb. 10, 2025.
3. Haigney, S. Women, STEM, and AI in Pharma. PharmTech.com, Feb. 11, 2025.
4. ArisGlobal. ArisGlobal Signs EU AI Pact in Latest Commitment to Ethical AI Practices. Press Release. Feb. 12, 2025.
5. Gottweis, J. and Natarajan, V. Accelerating Scientific Breakthroughs with AI Co-Scientist. Blog Post. Google Research. Researchgoogle. Feb. 19, 2025.