Abcam joins the Innovative Health Initiative LIGAND-AI project to advance artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery through open science

Abcam has joined an industry-academic partnership led by the Structural Genomics Consortium and Pfizer to advance AI-driven drug discovery through open science, a new public-private partnership with a budget of more than €60 million. Through this collaboration, the Innovative Health Initiative Project LIGAND-AI will generate large, high-quality protein–ligand datasets to support the development of predictive models for next-generation therapeutics.

FRANKFURT, Germany, and CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom , Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Abcam and the other 17 members of the partnership today launched the IHI project, LIGAND-AI, to advance AI-driven drug discovery through open science.

Abcam will contribute deep expertise in recombinant protein engineering, synthesis, and production to LIGAND-AI. Abcam's ability to deliver high-quality, well-characterized proteins at scale enables the consortium to generate robust ligand-binding datasets required to train predictive models for next-generation therapeutics.

"Ligand-AI represents the next frontier in drug discovery—combining cutting-edge AI with large-scale experimental science. We're thrilled to bring Abcam's protein capabilities into a consortium of global leaders, working together to build predictive models that will unlock thousands of new targets. This partnership isn't just about data; it's about shaping the future of medicine through collaboration and innovation," said Alejandra Solache Diaz, Senior Vice President - Research & Development, Abcam.

The new multi-sector public-private partnership, funded by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), IHI, brings together partners across nine countries to generate large, open, high-quality datasets of protein–ligand interactions and use them to train AI models capable of predicting candidate molecules as suitable binders for thousands of human proteins.

• Experts across academia, industry, technology companies, and research organizations will collaborate over the next five years to generate open and accessible, high-quality, AI-ready protein-ligand data at scale as a public resource.
• With a budget of more than €60 million, the project aligns with IHI's mission to foster international, cross-sectoral collaboration and advance medicine discovery by bringing the power of data science to hit identification technologies.

Led by Pfizer and the Structural Genomics Consortium, the LIGAND-AI consortium will interrogate thousands of proteins relevant to existing and unmet disease areas, including rare, neurological, and oncological conditions.

Early drug discovery involves long timelines, substantial investment, and considerable uncertainty. Researchers need to screen large numbers of molecules to identify those that bind to disease-related proteins. LIGAND-AI aims to change this by combining advanced laboratory technologies with computational methods to create a seamless pipeline from experiment to prediction. The consortium will generate billions of data points using complementary screening technologies, enabling researchers worldwide to develop, train, and benchmark AI models that predict molecular interactions.

"This project brings together scientists and companies from across disciplines within an open science ecosystem. It is heartening to see these diverse scientific communities coalesce around a common vision to generate and share valuable chemical data openly with the world," said Aled Edwards, CEO of the Structural Genomics Consortium and project coordinator.

Beyond data generation, LIGAND-AI will foster an open discovery ecosystem by inviting the scientific community to co-develop and refine predictive models through open challenges and benchmarking campaigns. All data generated through LIGAND-AI will be shared in accordance with FAIR principles, ensuring they are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable by the global scientific community. By integrating expertise in protein science, structural biology, chemistry, and machine learning, the project will build a dynamic network where experimental and computational discoveries evolve together, ensuring that progress is cumulative, transparent, and accessible.

By establishing a shared, open-science infrastructure for AI-driven drug discovery, LIGAND-AI will not only advance early-stage research but also train a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists fluent in both computation and experimentation. The project represents a major step toward the mission of Target 2035—to discover chemical modulators for every human protein by the year 2035. LIGAND-AI is a major milestone toward realizing this vision, catalyzing global collaboration, reducing fragmentation across sectors, and advancing data-driven discovery.

For more information, visit www.target2035.net

About LIGAND-AI:

LIGAND-AI is a flagship project of the Target 2035 initiative, funded by the Innovative Health Initiative, a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Union and the European life science industries, represented by COCIR, EFPIA (including Vaccines Europe), EuropaBio and MedTech Europe.

The LIGAND-AI Consortium is formed by the following partners:

Structural Genomics Consortium, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Goethe University Frankfurt, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, University College London, University Health Network, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca, Abcam Limited, AstraZeneca UK Limited, Chemspace LLC, Enamine Germany GmbH, IBM Research Israel – Science and Technology LTD, Novo Nordisk, Nuvisan ICB GmbH, Pfizer Inc, The Hospital for Sick Children, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, and Vernalis (R&D) Limited.

This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101252959. The JU receives support from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovative programme, COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe, Vaccines Europe, Enamine, and The Hospital for Sick Children. Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.

About Abcam

At Abcam, we believe that the scientific community goes further, faster, when we go there together. We provide the research and clinical communities with expert scientific support, highly validated antibodies, assays, and other tools to address important targets in critical biological pathways. Today, we help 750,000 researchers in over 130 countries reach results faster in areas like cancer, neurological disorders, infectious diseases, and metabolic disorders.

Abcam is proud to be part of Danaher

Danaher's science and technology leadership puts Abcam's solutions at the forefront of the industry, so they can reach more people. Being part of Danaher means we can offer unparalleled breadth and depth of expertise and solutions to our customers.

Together with Danaher's other businesses across Biotechnology, Diagnostics and Life Sciences, we unlock the transformative potential of cutting-edge science and technology to improve billions of lives every day.

About Danaher

Danaher is a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator, committed to accelerating the power of science and technology to improve human health. Our businesses partner closely with customers to solve many of the most important health challenges impacting patients around the world. Danaher's advanced science and technology – and proven ability to innovate – help enable faster, more accurate diagnoses and help reduce the time and cost needed to sustainably discover, develop and deliver life-changing therapies. Focused on scientific excellence, innovation and continuous improvement, our approximately 63,000 associates worldwide help ensure that Danaher is improving quality of life for billions of people today, while setting the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow. Explore more at www.danaher.com.

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