CRO

Charles River diving deeper into AI drug development in partnership with Valo Health

Charles River Labs, an early-stage contract research organization, is diving deeper into artificial intelligence by inking a multiyear partnership with Valo Health.

The pact with Valo follows Charles River’s agreement signed last April with Valence Discovery that gave the CRO access to Valence's artificial intelligence platform for molecular property prediction, generative chemistry and multi-parameter optimization.

Under the latest deal, Charles River adds Valo’s Opal technology that actively learns as programs are developed, which allows the company to simultaneously advance new medicines while improving its discovery and development engine. 

Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

RELATED: Charles River Laboratoriess signs AI pact with Valance Discovery to boost drug discovery work

Valo’s tech uses a “closed-loop” in silica-experimental platform that quickly repeats using program data that identifies novel compounds. Charles River is betting the platform will result in a faster and more effective process from de novo molecule design through lead optimization. 

The resulting process of the partnership is expected to become available in the first half of 2022, exclusively from Charles River.