Recursion Partners with Genentech to Advance First Validated Neuro Target Discovered Through AI Map

Recursion and Genentech announced Wednesday they will co-develop a neuroscience small molecule early discovery program based on the first validated target discovered through an AI map created under their collaboration with Roche, the companies said. Genentech has exercised the collaboration's first validated target option after accepting a validation package from Recursion, triggering a $3 million milestone payment that brings total cash paid to Recursion since the 2021 partnership launch to $216 million. The companies are not disclosing the target or the specific neuroscience disorders it may treat. Recursion said it took 15 months to move from initiation of target validation to a validation package. The target's significance rests in its potential to expand neuroscience treatments beyond the handful of familiar targets in the space, according to the partners. The AI map was built using a whole-genome CRISPR knockout screen generated from over one trillion internally manufactured neuronal cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Researchers applied large-scale perturbations spanning more than 17,000 genes and thousands of small molecules, capturing more than 46 million cellular images analyzed on Recursion's BioHive-2 supercomputer. Candidate targets advanced through pathway, functional, and disease validation stages developed jointly with Genentech. "Finding new targets in neuroscience has historically been challenging, and this milestone highlights our ability to uncover novel biology in areas where conventional approaches have struggled," Recursion CEO Najat Khan, PhD, said in a statement.