SENS.L Regulatory News (SENS)

Sensyne Health, Evotec, OSI and the University of Oxford create new partnership called LAB10x to accelerate data-driven drug discovery powered by AI

LAB10x aims to accelerate the commercialisation of the next generation of digital therapeutics and data-driven drug discovery from clinical artificial intelligence research and digital health innovations at the University of Oxford

Oxford, UK and Hamburg, Germany; 24th June 2019: Sensyne Health plc (LSE:SENS) ("Sensyne"), the British Clinical AI technology company, today announces that it has entered into a new strategic partnership with Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) ("Evotec"), a global drug discovery and development company, with the University of Oxford, Oxford University Innovation Ltd ("OUI", the university's research commercialisation company) and Oxford Sciences Innovation (the world's largest IP investment company dedicated to a single university) aimed at accelerating the translation of research in the fields of clinical artificial intelligence and digital health at Oxford into breakthrough digital therapeutics, clinical AI algorithms and to accelerate data-driven drug discovery and development.

Projects will be sourced exclusively from University of Oxford researchers via OUI across therapeutic areas and modalities and will be aided by an expert in residence seconded by Sensyne Health to the LAB10x initiative and embedded in the University. The technologies developed by LAB10x will be applied to generate and analyse anonymised patient datasets to improve patient outcomes and accelerate medical research and pharmaceutical R&D.

The partnership brings together Sensyne's strength in clinical AI and digital health with Evotec's leading drug discovery and development expertise to leverage the world-class science at Oxford. The University of Oxford was recently ranked as world No 1 in medical science, engineering science and computer science; the three fields most relevant to the focus of LAB10x.

LAB10x will be supported by a fund of £5m (more than EUR 5.6m) for an initial period of three years.

Evotec will provide access to its drug discovery expertise and platforms and Sensyne will exclusively contribute its clinical AI and digital health expertise and regulated software development and data analysis environment under its Quality Management System (QMS) to select projects and develop them to the point of commercial proof of concept.

Evotec and Sensyne will be entitled to equity in new LAB10x spin-out companies together with Oxford University and its academic researchers. Both companies, together with OSI, will have the right to co-invest in seed financing rounds. Where company creation is not the chosen commercial path, Sensyne will have the right to acquire a licence to IP generated by the selected projects. Sensyne and Evotec are also exploring other opportunities for collaboration.

Lord (Paul) Drayson, CEO of Sensyne Health, said: "LAB10x will leverage Sensyne's expertise in digital health and clinical AI, our regulated development environment and our unique partnership model with the University of Oxford and NHS Trusts to ensure the science is brought through to application as quickly and efficiently as possible - delivering benefits for patients and creating significant value."

Dr Werner Lanthaler, CEO of Evotec, said "The medicine of the future will see radical change, driven by the continuing expansion of drug discovery technologies like artificial intelligence and healthcare mega trends like digital health. Evotec and our partners will continue to invest in these areas and we are pleased to launch LAB10x with Sensyne Health, OSI, OUI, and the University of Oxford. Today's announcement demonstrates the power of forming public-private partnerships in drug discovery to create the next generation of medicines in an effective and efficient manner."

Dr Matt Perkins, CEO of Oxford University Innovation said: "Building on LAB282, the pioneering public-private drug discovery partnership model that has now been replicated around the world, LAB10x aims to combine the rapidly growing body of world-class research in data driven health innovation at Oxford with expertise, resources and an industry standard development framework for digital health innovations. Today's announcement provides a solution to a significant unmet need that has the potential to maximise the global impact of Oxford's research and expertise, leading to better healthcare technologies, disease insights, treatments and cures."

Professor Gavin Screaton, Head of Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, said: "Digital health solutions and data driven insights often require a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together clinicians, medical researchers, engineers and computer scientists. With world leaders in these fields, it is no surprise that Oxford University is generating a wealth of exciting innovations in this space and it is vital that this is matched by high quality translational support which increases the likelihood of future societal benefits. LAB10x has huge potential to maximise the impact of medical research and innovation in Oxford."

The LAB10x name was chosen by the partners collectively to signify how critical data-driven healthcare can be accelerated from concept to innovation ten times faster, as the result of the cumulative experience of the LAB10x partners involved and by applying an agile development methodology within a regulated framework.

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Notes to editors

About data-driven healthcare

With the rapid progress being made in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health, there is a clear need to better understand these technologies and how they will ultimately benefit patients and the healthcare system. Digital health is the convergence of digital technologies with health, healthcare, living, and society to enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery and make medicines more personalised. A digital therapeutic delivers evidence-based therapeutic intervention, to patients that are driven by high quality software programmes to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease. They are used independently or together with medications, devices or other therapies to optimise patient care and overall health outcomes.

About Sensyne Health

Sensyne Health plc is a healthcare technology company that creates value from accelerating the discovery and development of new medicines and improving patient care through the analysis of real-world evidence from large databases of anonymised patient data in collaboration with NHS Trusts. These anonymised patient data are ethically sourced in that any analysis of anonymised patient data (and hence the Company's access to it) must be pre-approved for each programme on a case-by-case basis by the relevant NHS Trusts. This is to ensure that the purpose of the anonymisation and the proposed analysis are subject to appropriate ethical oversight and information governance, including conformance with NHS principles, UK data protection law and applicable regulatory guidance. Sensyne Health is an early signatory to the Department of Health and Social Care's 'Initial Code of Conduct for data-driven health and care technology'.

Sensyne Health is listed on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange (SENS.L).

About Evotec SE and BRIDGEs

Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company focused on rapidly progressing innovative product approaches with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academics, patient advocacy groups and venture capitalists. We operate worldwide and our more than 2,600 employees provide the highest quality stand-alone and integrated drug discovery and development solutions. We cover all activities from target-to-clinic to meet the industry's need for innovation and efficiency in drug discovery and development (EVT Execute). The Company has established a unique position by assembling top-class scientific experts and integrating state-of-the-art technologies as well as substantial experience and expertise in key therapeutic areas including neuronal diseases, diabetes and complications of diabetes, pain and inflammation, oncology, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases and fibrosis. On this basis, Evotec has built a broad and deep pipeline of approx. 100 co-owned product opportunities at clinical, pre-clinical and discovery stages (EVT Innovate). Evotec has established multiple long-term alliances with partners including Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, CHDI, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB and others.

Evotec has created a new paradigm to translate early-stage academic research to drug discovery and development called "BRIDGE" (Biomedical Research, Innovation & Development Generation Efficiency), an integrated fund and award framework to tap into exciting academic science to accelerate the formation of spin-out companies and generate partnerships with Pharma and biotech. Through these efforts, Evotec has defined a new formula for fast-track early-stage drug discovery. Since the launch of the BRIDGE model in 2016, Evotec has formed and funded five partnerships, termed LAB282, LAB150, LAB591, LAB031, and LAB10x.

For additional information please go to www.evotec.com and follow us on Twitter @Evotec.

About the University of Oxford

Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the third year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation.

Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.

Oxford has also been ranked as the world's best institution for medical and health teaching and research by Times Higher Education for eight consecutive years.

About Oxford University Innovation (OUI)

Oxford University Innovation supports innovation activities across all University Divisions, managing technology transfer and consulting activities, and creating a world-leading innovation ecosystem, with Oxford University at its heart.

We provide access to technology from Oxford researchers through intellectual property licensing, spinout company formation and material sales, and to academic expertise through our Consulting Services team. The New Venture Support & Funding team supports investors or donors with an interest in early-stage ventures and manages the Oxford Angels Network.

Our Startup Incubator supports members and ex-members of the University who wish to start or grow entrepreneur-driven ventures that are not University spinouts.

Oxford University Innovation is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked 1st in the UK for university spinouts, having created over 170 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past three years. .In the 2016/17 financial year we completed more than 50 licenses and consulting agreements every month.

For updates on innovations from Oxford, follow Oxford University Innovation on LinkedIn and Twitter or subscribe at http://innovation.ox.ac.uk/about/contact-us/#enquiry 

About Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI)

Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) is Oxford's early stage venture partner, dedicated to investing in new and emerging platforms driven by deep science and technology. OSI is guided and powered by some of the world's leading organisations, with £600M raised from GV, Sequoia, Tencent, The Wellcome Trust, Temasek and several others. Since their first investment in 2015, OSI has been helping Oxford scientists address the world's leading challenges, from infectious disease to sustainable energy