Novo Nordisk, Valo collaborate to develop treatments using human data, AI

Novo Nordisk A/S and Valo Health announced they have entered into an agreement to discover and develop novel treatments for cardiometabolic diseases based on Valo’s large human dataset and computation powered by artificial intelligence, AI. The collaboration between the two organizations will leverage the capabilities of Valo’s Opal Computational Platform including access to real-world patient data, AI-enabled small molecule discovery and Biowire human tissue modelling platform designed to speed up the discovery and development process. Valo’s preclinical capabilities enable identification and validation of novel druggable targets, as well as development of drug candidates against these targets, and can help predict compound safety and efficacy. In addition to target discovery and validation as part of the collaboration, Novo Nordisk is licensing three preclinical drug discovery programmes in cardiovascular diseases discovered and developed by Valo using the Opal Computational Platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Valo will receive an upfront payment and a potential near-term milestone payment, totalling $60M, and is eligible to receive milestone payments for up to 11 programmes, totalling up to $2.7B, plus R&D funding and potential royalty payments. The partnership between Novo Nordisk and Valo will leverage key joint capabilities in human data and genetics with a stronghold in cardiometabolic diseases.