PostEra and Pfizer Expand $610M Partnership for AI-Driven ADC Development

PostEra, Boston biotech specializing in AI-driven drug discovery, announced an expansion of its collaboration with Pfizer, increasing the total partnership value to $610 million. This includes a new initiative focused on Antibody-Drug-Conjugates (ADCs) alongside the expansion of their existing AI Lab collaboration, which centers on small molecule therapeutics.

According to Aaron Morris, CEO of PostEra, the AI Lab partnership, originally launched three years ago, was designed to test the efficacy of machine learning in drug discovery within a relatively independent framework. The collaboration initially succeeded in advancing several small molecule programs, leading Pfizer to nominate the maximum number of programs for development. Building on this progress, Pfizer and PostEra are now expanding the AI Lab to include additional targets and projects.

See also: The Rising Popularity of Antibody-Drug Conjugates, with Challenges

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) offer a targeted cancer therapy approach, combining the precision of monoclonal antibodies with the cell-killing potency of cytotoxic drugs. These therapies deliver their payload directly into cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, leveraging advancements in drug-to-antibody ratios and site-specific conjugation to enhance efficacy and safety.

The new ADC partnership will apply PostEra's AI platform, Proton, to optimize the design of novel payloads—key components in ADCs that deliver potent agents directly to cancer cells. ADCs have become a rapidly growing field in oncology, exemplified by Pfizer's $43 billion acquisition of Seagen in 2023. As Morris noted, “The potential of ADCs to combine targeted delivery with high efficacy has made them one of the hottest areas in oncology, but challenges remain, particularly in designing better payloads.”

Highlights of the Collaboration

• AI Lab Expansion: The AI Lab, initially valued at $260 million, will now include additional programs for small molecule drug discovery, leveraging Proton's generative chemistry and synthesis-aware design capabilities.
• New ADC Initiative: The ADC partnership focuses on optimizing payload properties to improve their efficacy and safety profiles. Proton will play a key role in tackling these challenges.
• Financials: PostEra will receive an upfront payment of $12 million and is eligible for additional milestone payments and tiered royalties on any approved products.

Alpha Lee, Chief Scientific Officer of PostEra, emphasized:

“Peer-reviewed publications with Pfizer have already demonstrated the real-world impact of AI-driven drug discovery in achieving preclinical milestones faster than expected.”

This marks the third partnership between PostEra and Pfizer. PostEra’s collaboration with Pfizer builds on prior successes, including the application of its Proton platform to the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors, as reported in Science Advances. The machine learning-driven approach enabled the development of potent, selective, and orally bioavailable inhibitors targeting PLpro, a critical enzyme for SARS-CoV-2 replication. This demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models and exemplifies how PostEra integrates AI-driven methods with rigorous medicinal chemistry. By leveraging similar strategies, the partnership aims to extend these capabilities to novel ADC payloads and expanded small molecule programs.

To date, the company has secured over $1 billion in partnerships focused on AI-driven medicinal chemistry. Beyond Pfizer, PostEra’s partnerships include multi-year agreements with major biopharma companies and a large-scale antiviral drug discovery initiative funded by the NIH.

Topics: Novel Therapeutics