Owkin Unveils AI-Driven Oncology and Immunology Pipeline, In-Licenses Best-in-Class Asset OKN4395

Owkin, the first end-to-end TechBio unicorn that uses cutting-edge causal AI to unlock precision drug discovery, development and diagnostics, has unveiled an innovative drug pipeline in oncology and immunology following an exclusive global licensing agreement with Idorsia (SIX: IDIA) to develop and commercialize OKN4395, a clinic-ready best-in-class dual inhibitor of prostanoid receptors EP2 and EP4.

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Unveiling Owkin’s AI precision pipeline

Owkin’s unique pipeline is the product of several internal AI engines powered by multimodal patient data from a network of 61 leading research centers and cutting-edge AI from a team of 110 data scientists that have published 57 top publications. Owkin’s pipeline is differentiated by the use of spatial multiomics data via MOSAIC, the world's largest spatial multiomics dataset in oncology that enables Owkin to capture the tumor microenvironment in a way that few others can. With deep immune response expertise in T-cell connectivity and seven years of successful AI drug discovery projects internally and with leading pharma partners, Owkin is poised to tackle some of the most critical challenges in precision medicine.

OKN4395 is the result of 10 years of drug discovery by experts at Idorsia and external collaborators. Owkin believes this asset has the potential to be a best-in-class dual inhibitor of the very challenging EP2 and EP4 targets thanks to years of medicinal chemistry, a feat that Generative AI has yet to achieve.

Thomas Clozel, MD, CEO & Co-founder: “Our AI-powered precision pipeline demonstrates our dedication to tailoring treatments to specific patient subgroups by using causal biomarkers from patient data. This is how Owkin is driving a paradigm shift in precision health. As a physician, I am proud that we can now extend our pipeline from AI-target discovery and lab validation to clinical trials, getting closer to the ground truth of biology and providing clinical benefits to patients sooner.”

Owkin’s AI Engines select OKN4395 for in-licensing

Owkin’s biomarker engine used multimodal patient data to create detailed signatures of EP2/EP4 biology, combining histology and molecular profiles. This helped identify actionable biomarkers for indication selection and clinical trial development.

Owkin’s AI drug positioning engine then screened over 30 cancer indications for OKN4395, ranking them based on their relevance to the EP2/EP4 pathway. This data-driven process, validated by medical experts, identified the most promising therapeutic combinations for clinical trial success, synergising with traditional expert-driven approaches.

Vassili Soumelis, MD, PhD, Owkin Chief Medical Officer: “Our AI engines integrated rich multimodal patient data from multiple cancer indications, allowing us to discover that EP2/EP4 biology significantly perturbs T cell connectivity within the tumor microenvironment (TME) through direct and indirect mechanisms.”

To de-risk OKN4395’s clinical trial, Owkin will apply AI to build an external control arm in phase 1B and use multimodal patient data to select optimal inclusion/exclusion criteria and prognostic covariates to strengthen the treatment signal in a data-driven way.

Andrew J. Pierce, PhD, SVP Discovery & Development: “As a result of extensive in-house medical chemistry expertise, Idorsia had a very potent dual inhibitor of EP2/EP4, which came with a compelling preclinical dataset including restoration of T cell functionality. With this best-in-class asset, Owkin can now unleash its capacity to decipher complex biology to get us one step closer to finding the right treatment for every patient.”

Leveraging world-leading data access and cutting-edge technologies, Owkin’s pipeline promises a unique approach to tackle some of the most critical challenges in precision medicine. To expand its pipeline further, Owkin intends to harness its AI engines to supplement in-house drug discovery with in-licensed assets in oncology, immunology, and inflammation.

About Owkin

Owkin is the first end-to-end TechBio unicorn on a mission to understand complex biology and derive new multimodal biomarkers through AI. We identify precision therapeutics, de-risk and accelerate clinical trials and develop diagnostics using AI trained on world-class patient data through privacy-enhancing federated technologies. We merge wet lab experiments with advanced AI techniques to create a powerful feedback loop for accelerated discovery and innovation in oncology, cardiovascular disease, immunity and inflammation. Owkin also founded MOSAIC, the world’s largest spatial multiomics atlas for cancer research. Owkin has raised over $300 million through investments from leading biopharma companies, including Sanofi and BMS, and venture funds like Fidelity, GV and Bpifrance, among others.

About Idorsia

Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more – We have more ideas, we see more opportunities and we want to help more patients. In order to achieve this, we will develop Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core.

Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland – a European biotech-hub – Idorsia is specialized in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules to transform the horizon of therapeutic options. Idorsia has a 25-year heritage of drug discovery, a broad portfolio of innovative drugs in the pipeline, an experienced team of professionals covering all disciplines from bench to bedside, and commercial operations in Europe and North America – the ideal constellation for bringing innovative medicines to patients.

Idorsia was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA) in June 2017 and has over 750 highly qualified specialists dedicated to realizing our ambitious targets.

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Contact information

Stephanie Libous
Director of Communications
stephanie.libous@owkin.com