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

Darmstadt, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) – Not intended for distribution
in the USA, Canada or UK

* 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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