Business Wire

Exscientia Announces Second Molecule Created Using AI From Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Collaboration to Enter Phase 1 Clinical Trial

13.5.2021 10:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share

Exscientia Ltd. (Headquarters: Oxford, UK; CEO: Andrew Hopkins) is pleased to acknowledge that Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. (Head office: Osaka, Japan, Representative Director, President and CEO: Hiroshi Nomura) has announced that they will initiate a Phase 1 clinical study of DSP-0038 in the United States for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease psychosis.

DSP-0038 is the third molecule created using Exscientia’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enter clinical trials. The two earlier compounds are DSP-1181, announced in 2020 together with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Exscientia’s immuno-oncology agent, EXS-21546, announced earlier this year.

Joint research between Exscientia and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma designed DSP-0038 to be a single small molecule that exhibits high potency as an antagonist for the 5-HT2A receptor and agonist for the 5-HT1A receptor, whilst selectively avoiding similar receptors and unwanted targets, such as the dopamine D2 receptor. Selective dual targeting is a major challenge for conventional drug discovery, and psychiatric indications also require exceptional selectivity to avoid off-target effects. The successful design of DSP-0038 demonstrates opportunities to design selective molecules with dual activity.

DSP-0038 will be assessed for improved antipsychotic effects associated with Alzheimer’s disease psychosis, as well as improvements in behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia which include agitation, aggression, anxiety, and depression.

Toru Kimura, Representative Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, said: "We have been impressed by the outstanding productivity of Exscientia's AI technologies. The combination of Exscientia’s AI with our company’s deep experience in monoamine GPCR drug discovery has now led to two molecules reaching our clinical pipeline from this collaboration.”

Andrew Hopkins, CEO of Exscientia, said: "This is further validation that our AI platform can turn complex biological challenges into high-quality clinical candidates quickly. To have what we believe to be the world’s first three clinical molecules created using AI arising from our own platform – two with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma - is a wonderful achievement. We hope that through the creation of DSP-0038 improved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease psychosis will be realized."

About Exscientia

Exscientia is an AI-driven pharmatech company committed to discovering and designing the best possible medicines in the fastest and most effective manner. Exscientia is the first company to progress AI-designed small molecules into the clinical setting and repeatedly demonstrate the ability of AI to transform how drugs are created. Exscientia’s AI platform has now designed two drugs that are in Phase 1 human clinical trials.

Drug design is precision engineering at the molecular scale. Exscientia has built dedicated AI systems that efficiently learn from the widest range of data and consistently reapply enhanced knowledge through iterations of design. Because Exscientia’s AI platform learns more effectively and rapidly than human-led efforts alone, candidate molecules satisfying complex therapeutic requirements are created with revolutionary efficiency. Exscientia believes that designing better drugs, faster, will allow the best ideas of science to rapidly become the best medicines for patients.

Exscientia has offices in Oxford, Miami, Osaka and Dundee. For more information visit us on www.exscientia.ai or follow us on Twitter @exscientiaAI.

About Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma defines its corporate mission as "To broadly contribute to society through value creation based on innovative research and development activities for the betterment of healthcare and fuller lives of people worldwide." By pouring all our efforts into the research and development of new drugs, we aim to realize our corporate mission and provide innovative and effective pharmaceutical

solutions to people not only in Japan but also around the world. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma's goal is to create innovative pharmaceutical products in the focus research areas of Psychiatry & Neurology, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine/Cell Therapy. For further details, visit https://www.ds-pharma.com.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Enquiries:
Edelman
Anitra Sprauten
P: +44 (0)7896 859386
Anitra.Sprauten@edelman.com

Stephanie Crisp
P: +44 (0)7583 003417
Stephanie.Crisp@edelman.com

For Exscientia
Mark Swindells: contact@exscientia.ai

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

NIPPON KINZOKU Strengthens Promotion of "L-Core" as an Eco-Product: Functional Stainless Steel Achieving High Conductivity via Surface Modification13.5.2026 11:01:00 EEST | Press release

NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD. (TOKYO: 5491) (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) is proud to announce the strengthened promotion of "L-Core," a functional stainless steel that utilizes proprietary surface modification technology to achieve extremely low contact resistance while maintaining the inherent corrosion resistance of stainless steel. We have repositioned L-Core as a strategic "Eco-Product" to support sustainable manufacturing. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513728897/en/ While conventional stainless steel excels in corrosion resistance due to its "passive film," this same film typically acts as an electrical insulator. Consequently, components requiring conductivity have traditionally relied on high-cost nickel (Ni) plating or conductive tapes. L-Core solves this challenge by making the passive film itself conductive. This breakthrough ensures high conductivity in the material alone, streamlining the manuf

Hermes Reply Presents Brick Cognitive, the Agentic Operating System for Manufacturing13.5.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release

Hermes Reply, the Reply Group company specialized in digital transformation for manufacturing, presents Brick Cognitive, the new agentic operating system designed to bring AI to the centre of industrial operations. A natural extension of Brick Reply, Reply’s next-generation MES/MOM platform, Brick Cognitive introduces a model in which factory systems no longer simply execute and monitor operations, but isable to interpret what is happening, correlate events and guide action across production, quality, maintenance and planning. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513981153/en/ Brick Reply, Reply’s next-generation MES/MOM platform, Brick Cognitive introduces a model in which factory systems no longer simply execute and monitor operations, but is able to interpret what is happening, correlate events and guide action across production, quality, maintenance and planning. In production environments, data and processe

MC Advances Supply Chain Transformation with Blue Yonder Cognitive Solutions13.5.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release

MC, the retail division of Sonae and a leading player in Portugal’s grocery market and health, wellness, and beauty retail across the Iberian Peninsula, has selected Blue Yonder Cognitive Solutions for Allocation and Replenishment to advance its supply chain transformation. With more than 400 stores across multiple formats, MC operates major supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Continente, along with convenience stores, health and wellness shops, and online grocery services. Blue Yonder’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enabled solutions will help the company improve visibility into demand forecasting. The new solutions will be implemented by Blue Yonder Services. “The grocery retail sector is adapting to a period of significant change, underlining the need for more agile operations across the supply chain. We needed end-to-end visibility and faster, more accurate inventory planning to address demand uncertainty while prioritizing our business goals,” s

Oral‑B Announces The Big Rethink 2026 , Launching One of Europe’s Largest Disability‑Focused Oral Health Studies13.5.2026 10:06:00 EEST | Press release

Oral‑B today announces The Big Rethink 2026, the next evolution of its flagship oral health inclusion programme, developed in partnership with the International Association for Disability and Oral Health (iADH). The new phase introduces Project Steady, one of Europe’s largest real‑world studies exploring oral care experiences among people with disabilities, their carers and dental professionals. The programme aims to reduce everyday barriers to oral care through inclusive design, evidence-based research and professional education. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511175864/en/ Oral B Announces The Big Rethink 2026, Launching One of Europe’s Largest Disability Focused Oral Health Studies Oral health for Whole-Body Health Since its launch in 2022, The Big Rethink has been grounded in a clear belief: oral health is fundamental to whole‑body health, confidence and quality of life. For people with disabilities, b

Takeda Announces FY2025 Full Year Results and FY2026 Outlook, Highlighted by Excellent Pipeline Progress and Solid FY2025 Results13.5.2026 09:38:00 EEST | Press release

Takeda (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK) today announced financial results for the fiscal year 2025 (period ended March 31, 2026). The Company delivered solid results in line with its latest FY2025 Management Guidance, reflecting strong OPEX savings, mitigating revenue headwinds while continuing to invest in future growth. Key Highlights for FY2025 Revenue decreased by 1.7% YoY at actual exchange rates (AER), resulting from the loss of exclusivity for VYVANSE® which was partially mitigated by Growth and Launch Products. On a Core basis, Revenue decreased by 2.6% at Constant Exchange Rate (CER). Core Operating Profit increased by 0.8% YoY at AER and declined by 0.9% at CER, protected by OPEX savings, while still investing for growth. Reported Operating Profit increased by 19.3% YoY at AER, also reflecting a step-down in amortization expenses for VYVANSE and lower restructuring expenses. Core EPS increased by 5.2% YoY at AER and by 3.1% at CER, while reported EPS increased by 78.1% YoY. Adjusted Fre

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye