Evogene and the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery (BCDD) at Tel Aviv University have announced a strategic joint initiative aimed at accelerating the growth, development, and success of innovation originating from Israel's academic research ecosystem and focused on small-molecule drug discovery. This collaboration agreement was facilitated by Ramot, Tel Aviv University's tech transfer company.

The initiative is designed to support scientific entrepreneurs and research teams that possess deep biological understanding of novel disease targets but often face significant challenges in translating these discoveries into viable drug development programs. By combining BCDD's advanced experimental infrastructure and translational drug discovery capabilities with Evogene's AI-driven computational chemistry generative engine, ChemPass AI, the collaboration seeks to create a powerful acceleration framework that bridges the gap between biological insight and drug candidate development.

Many promising academic discoveries fail to progress due to the lack of integrated capabilities required for early-stage drug discovery. This joint initiative directly addresses these challenges by providing entrepreneurs with access to both computational and experimental resources under a coordinated development framework.

Ofer Haviv, President and CEO, Evogene, said, "Israel's academic institutions generate world-class discoveries and novel therapeutic targets. However, many entrepreneurs and researchers face significant hurdles in transforming these scientific insights into viable drug development programs. Through this collaboration with the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery, we are creating a unique framework that combines advanced AI-driven computational chemistry with world-class experimental validation capabilities. This collaboration represents an excellent way to broaden the pipeline of drug candidates developed by Evogene's unique technology. Researchers focused on biological targets, particularly molecular glues and complex proteins, and interested in identifying small-molecule therapeutics are invited to contact the Blavatnik Institute. We look forward to identifying suitable projects for potential joint support."

At the heart of the collaboration is an integrated Design-Make-Test-s (DMTA) workflow. Together, Evogene and the BCDD will identify and evaluate promising projects emerging from Israeli academic institutions and entrepreneurial ventures. Selected programs will benefit from Evogene's proprietary ChemPass AI generative engine and computational chemistry expertise for the design and optimisation of novel small molecules, while the BCDD will provide experimental validation, screening capabilities, and translational development support through its state-of-the-art infrastructure. Together, driven by ChemPass AI, this integrated workflow is designed to improve development efficiency, reduce early-stage risk and increase the likelihood of commercial success for emerging drug candidates.

Leah Klapper, Managing Director, Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery, said, "The Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery was established to advance pioneering medical research from the lab to patient treatment. Our mission has always been to bridge the gap between outstanding academic science and real-world therapeutic innovation. By partnering with Evogene, and leveraging their cutting-edge ChemPass AI engine, we can provide researchers and entrepreneurs with a comprehensive drug discovery pipeline. This platform uniquely combines deep biological expertise, experimental validation, and advanced computational chemistry. We believe this collaboration will significantly strengthen the ability of academic-originated ventures to translate breakthrough discoveries into successful therapeutic programs, ultimately improving patient outcomes."