New partners will use AI to develop novel myelin repair therapies for MS
Evogene, Unravel aim to design first treatment to restore lost nerve function
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- Evogene and Unravel Biosciences are using AI to develop novel myelin repair therapies for multiple sclerosis.
- The goal is to create first-in-class small-molecule drugs that can reverse neurological damage by restoring myelin.
- These AI-driven therapies aim to cross the blood-brain barrier and improve neurological function in demyelinating conditions.
Evogene and Unravel Biosciences are collaborating to develop a new class of therapies targeting myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS) and similar disorders.
By combining two distinct artificial intelligence platforms, the companies hope to create the first treatment capable of actively restoring the protective myelin coating around nerve fibers, potentially reversing neurological symptoms that current medications cannot address.
The collaboration centers on a “novel target” — a specific biological pathway involved in myelin loss — discovered by Unravel’s BioNAV artificial intelligence (AI). Evogene will now use its own computational engine, ChemPass AI, to design small-molecule drugs specifically tailored to hit that target. These molecules are being engineered to cross the blood-brain barrier, a major hurdle in treating brain-related disorders.
The goal is to develop the first treatment that promotes myelin repair and improves neurological function in people with demyelinating conditions.
“This collaboration with Unravel Biosciences integrates cutting-edge scientific innovation with urgent clinical needs. Unravel has achieved the critical, complex work of identifying and validating a novel, druggable target that can reverse demyelination,” Ofer Haviv, Evogene’s president and CEO, said in a company press release. “We expect our joint effort to pave the way for transformative treatments for patients [who] today have limited therapeutic options.”
The challenge of myelin repair in MS
In MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath, a protective coating around nerve fibers that ensures the efficient transmission of nerve signals. The loss of myelin, or demyelination, results in disrupted nerve signaling, ultimately leading to a range of symptoms.
While available disease-modifying therapies help reduce relapses and slow disease progression, they have limited ability to induce myelin repair and restore lost functions. Thus, finding treatments that can boost myelin repair has been a major goal in MS research.
Unravel’s proprietary BioNAV predictive biology platform uses patient-derived molecular data to create living molecular twins, or virtual replicas of an individual’s unique biology that can simulate responses to treatment in real patients.
These “living” models enable researchers to identify novel targets and drugs for a given condition, conduct preclinical screening tests, and clinically validate their drugs.
Unravel’s approach identified a new target candidate for demyelinating conditions. Now, Evogene will utilize its ChemPass AI engine to design novel, highly potent small molecules that can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the target to facilitate myelin repair.
This platform can significantly improve success rates at identifying lead drug candidates, while reducing development time and costs, according to Evogene.
“We are thrilled to partner with Evogene to design optimized new therapeutic candidates to promote remyelination for MS and other neurodegenerative disorders,” said Richard Novak, PhD, Unravel Biosciences’ CEO. “The synergistic combination of Evogene’s ChemPassAI engine and generative chemistry together with Unravel’s … Living Molecular Twins demonstrates the acceleration of drug development driven by novel data and advanced algorithms, since patients cannot wait.”
