Merck in Agreement With Cyclica for AI-augmented Screening Platform to Expand Research Capabilities

Darmstadt, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) -

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- Agreement to screen discovery and early development compounds
using artificial intelligence and computational biophysics
- Cloud-based in silico platform that screens small molecules to
determine polypharmacological profiles
- Evaluation to include identification of potential mechanisms of
action for investigational small molecules

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced
that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Cyclica Inc. for
the use of Ligand Express®, a cloud-based in silico proteome
screening platform. Ligand Express® is a structure-based and
artificial intelligence (AI) augmented proteome screening platform
that is being used to uncover novel targets that are modelled to
interact with a small molecule. This year-long agreement will enable
Merck to quickly and efficiently elucidate mechanisms of action,
evaluate safety profiles and explore additional applications for a
number of its investigational small molecules, including those
identified in highly disease-relevant phenotypic screens.

"With scientific curiosity at the heart of everything we do, the
pursuit of state-of-the-art research techniques and technologies is
integral to complement our internal discovery engine," said Belén
Garijo, Member of the Executive Board and CEO Healthcare, Merck.
"Artificial intelligence has the power to make the previously
unimaginable a reality - we are eager to harness these new
possibilities to help drive the discoveries that can transform the
lives of people affected by difficult-to-treat diseases."

"A key part of our R&D strategy is to progress highly promising
compounds as efficiently and rapidly as possible," added Friedrich
Rippmann, Director of Computational Chemistry & Biology at Merck.
"Assessing new technologies is central to how we will advance our
discovery programs, and artificial intelligence applications like
Ligand Express® will provide important insights to enhance how we
think about target identification to support phenotypic screening and
off-target profiling in general."

"Current experimental protein screening approaches can take up to
a year, making it virtually impossible to do this for multiple
compounds. We see this as a specific opportunity for cloud-based and
AI-augmented technologies to drive drug discovery more efficiently,"
commented Naheed Kurji, President and CEO of Cyclica. "We are
thrilled that Merck will be leveraging the power of our Ligand
Express® platform to drive their identification of novel targets."

Traditional development of small molecule therapies focuses on
specific, disease-associated protein targets. However, once a drug
enters the body, it interacts with dozens, if not hundreds, of
proteins before it is eliminated from the body. With Ligand Express®,
it is possible to capture a unique panoramic view of the proteome for
a given small molecule. As the technology can model the ways in which
a small molecule will interact with all proteins (of known
structure), it can help identify both 'on-targets' (interactions that
may have a desirable effect on a certain disease), as well as
'off-targets' (interactions that may cause an adverse effect).

Merck is committed to embracing innovative technologies to help
bring a transformational change to patients. This includes those
developed by partners who share a similar passion for discovery and
advancing human progress.

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About Merck

Merck, the vibrant science and technology company, operates across
healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 51,000
employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's
lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live.
From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways
to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence
of devices - Merck is everywhere. In 2017, Merck generated sales of
EUR 15.3 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been
key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how
Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family
remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck
holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only
exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business
sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma
in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

About Cyclica

Cyclica is a Toronto-based biotechnology company that is driving
drug discovery by empowering scientists in pharma with an integrated
cloud-based and AI-augmented platform that enhances how they design,
screen and personalize medicines. To learn more, visit
www.cyclicarx.com.

Your Contact

gangolf.schrimpf@merckgroup.com

Phone: +49 6151 72-9591

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