Professor Charlotte Deane, Ph.D., of the University of Oxford, has joined Exscientia as Chief Scientist of Biologics AI. In this newly created role, she will focus on the application of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the design of protein structures in the discovery and development of novel drug candidates.

Professor Deane joins Exscientia’s technology leadership team, reporting to Chief Technology Officer, Garry Pairaudeau. Professor Deane is one of the UK’s most accomplished bioinformaticians. She has held numerous senior roles at the University of Oxford, where she is currently Professor of Structural Bioinformatics and leads the University’s Protein Informatics group. She will maintain both of these roles, in addition to her role at Exscientia. Prior to this, Professor Deane was Deputy Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). She has played an active role during the COVID-19 pandemic as the UKRI’s COVID Response Director, and was a member of SAGE, the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Professor Deane holds a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge.

“We are proud to welcome Professor Deane to the Exscientia team, as one of the world’s foremost experts in structural bioinformatics and a recognized leader in machine learning approaches to therapeutic design,” said Andrew Hopkins, DPhil., Exscientia’s founder and CEO. “Charlotte brings over 20 years of experience in academia as a leading bioinformatics researcher. Her pioneering work in developing solutions across the field of protein structure and interaction networks has been sponsored by some of the world’s leading health organizations and has led to the development of novel algorithms and tools for structure-based design. We believe that Charlotte’s ambition to integrate machine learning and protein structure in the design of new drug candidates will help further Exscientia’s mission to make the best possible medicines for patients, faster.”

"I'm thrilled to join Exscientia and be part of the mission to revolutionise how new therapeutics are developed. I firmly believe that AI-led strategies are vital to improving all aspects of the process, and we've likely only just seen the beginning of how AI can transform conventional drug discovery and development. I look forward to exploring new frontiers where we can apply this innovation to ultimately bring better medicines to patients, faster," said Professor Charlotte Deane, Ph.D.

About Exscientia

Exscientia is an AI-driven pharmatech company committed to discovering, designing and developing the best possible drugs in the fastest and most effective manner. Exscientia developed the first-ever functional precision oncology platform to successfully guide treatment selection and improve patient outcomes in a prospective interventional clinical study, as well as to progress AI-designed small molecules into the clinical setting. Our pipeline demonstrates our ability to rapidly translate scientific concepts into precision-designed therapeutic candidates, with more than 25 projects advancing, including the first three AI-designed drug candidates to enter Phase 1 clinical trials.

Exscientia has offices in Oxford, Vienna, Dundee, Boston, Miami, and Osaka. For more information visit us on https://www.exscientia.ai or follow us on Twitter @exscientiaAI.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements with regard to Exscientia’s expectations regarding its management team. Words such as “anticipates,” "believes," “expects,” "intends," "projects," "anticipates," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the uncertainties inherent in predicting future results and conditions and no assurance can be given that the AI-supported precision medicine platform discussed above will be successful in proposing which treatment would be most effective for individual patients, including late-stage haematological cancer patients. The success of the platform to match targeted therapies to individual patients is subject to numerous factors, many of which are beyond the control of Exscientia, including, without limitation, the ability of healthcare providers to collect viable cells and each patient’s ability to respond due to pretreatments. Exscientia undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

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