Almirall, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and Nostrum Biodiscovery to Collaborate

Almirall S.A have announced a new collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and Nostrum Biodiscovery (BSC’s first spin-off) to explore artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) generative approaches to design new protein-protein modulators that will be the basis of new therapies for dermatological diseases.

"This new collaboration with BSC and Nostrum Biodiscovery marks a further step in our artificial intelligence and medical dermatology journey. Applying AI to protein-protein modulator design not only discovers new therapeutic approaches but also fundamentally reshapes how we tackle and solve dermatological challenges. This endeavour represents a bold step forward in our commitment to improving lives through groundbreaking research and innovation," stated Francesc Fernández, Almirall’s Data Science Director.

The collaboration, named ARTIBAND, will extend over a three-year period. Initially, the technology will be developed and trained with data on the public domain. In a second phase, it will be further optimised and applied to the discovery of new protein-protein modulators of Almirall’s interest. The project received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation as part of the EU-funded Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. 

Almirall and Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) have been collaborating since 2018 in the research program SilicoDerm, a project focused on computational drug design applied to dermatological therapeutic targets. Silicoderm has been the starting point of AI-based tools for drug discovery. "This collaboration, backed by cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence and machine learning, opens new avenues to advance dermatology research. At BSC, we are dedicated to harnessing the power of supercomputing and AI for the greater good, and this partnership exemplifies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery," noted Víctor Guallar, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre’s Chief Scientific Officer.

"As a spin-off from the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, we look forward to bringing our expertise in AI-based drug discovery to this transformative collaboration with Almirall. Together, we aim to revolutionise the treatment landscape for dermatological diseases. Our innovative approach, underpinned by generative AI, has the potential to uncover new therapeutic possibilities that can have a significant impact on patients' lives," said Alexis Molina, Nostrum Biodiscovery’s Director of Artificial Intelligence.