UK biopharmaceutical company Relation has partnered with Novartis to advance therapeutics for atopic diseases. 

The collaboration will pair Relation’s AI-powered drug discovery platform and human data generation capabilities with Novartis’s expertise in immuno-dermatology to identify, validate, and advance potential first-in-class targets in atopic diseases driven by immune dysregulation. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Relation will receive $55 million, comprising an upfront payment, equity investment and additional R&D funding. In addition, Relation is eligible to receive preclinical, development, regulatory, and commercial sales milestones of up to $1.7 billion, along with tiered royalties on net sales of products. 

“Atopic diseases affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Our technology defines the molecular pathways in diseased tissue compared to healthy tissue to help discover possible new therapeutics for medicines,” said David Roblin, Chief Executive Officer of Relation. 

“Together with Novartis’s development and commercialisation capabilities, we can potentially deliver medicines that transform the standard of care.” 

Relation’s Lab-in-the-Loop platform integrates AI with patient-derived multi-omic data and proprietary experimental systems to uncover causal genes and refine target hypotheses. As part of the collaboration, Relation will lead observational studies that generate functional cell atlases – directly from the tissue of patients – capturing the disease state in humans with unprecedented resolution.  

“At Novartis, we are dedicated to harnessing cutting-edge, AI-driven approaches that enhance novel target identification and accelerate drug discovery, delivering innovative medicines for patients in need,” said Fiona H. Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis.  

“Our collaboration with Relation will combine complementary expertise, technologies and capabilities to advance new options for patients living with atopic diseases.” 

Relation’s collaboration with Novartis follows a $26 million investment in the UK company from existing investors NVentures and deep tech investors DCVC and Magnetic Ventures. 

Bruno Quinney, Content Team, DDW