Qubigen and US-Based Rio Pharmaceuticals Partner for AI-Enhanced Drug Design in Neurological Disease
- David Brooks
- Oct 23
- 2 min read
Qubigen Pty Ltd is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Rio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a San Francisco-based biotechnology company focused on developing imaging tracers for the diagnosis and staging of neurological disease. This agreement marks Rio’s first expansion into therapeutics, launching a multi-stage development program with Qubigen to develop novel small molecule therapeutics targeting a critical pathway in neurological diseases.
Combining AI and Quantum Chemistry for Precision Drug Design
The program will focus on a disease target known to play a central role in neurodegeneration and inflammation. Qubigen will leverage its advanced computational infrastructure and curated datasets to design compounds specifically targeted to the protein of interest, while concurrently optimizing for blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration and other ADMET properties. The approach will utilize Qubigen’s proprietary, secure Federated AI platform (FedAI) to derive insights from distributed molecular data without transferring or exposing sensitive information, while integrating quantum chemistry-based molecular modeling to generate optimized, first-in-class drug candidates for this neurological target.
Advancing Therapeutics for Neurological Disease
The list of top candidates generated by Qubigen’s AI-accelerated hit-to-lead process will be synthesized and evaluated in vitro for binding and/or inhibition of the neurological target. Insights from these studies will help shape the next phase of the program and refine the selection of top-performing candidates. By combining Qubigen’s computational drug design expertise with Rio Pharmaceuticals’ translational capabilities, the project aims to deliver next-generation candidates with both therapeutic potential and path-to-market viability.
Qubigen: accelerate drug design without exposing secrets
Whether you're advancing active programs, reviving dormant data, or starting from scratch, Qubigen’s secure AI platform and virtual screening capabilities can help you identify, optimize, and accelerate the path to promising lead drug candidates. Get in touch to explore how we can support your next development.
