Vivan Therapeutics, Ad Atomica launch cancer drug discovery collaboration

Vivan Therapeutics and Ad Atomica have started a discovery collaboration that pairs Vivan’s tumor genotype screening data with Ad Atomica’s AI molecule design platform. The companies will begin with an evaluation phase aimed at finding new cancer drug candidates and could expand the work if the initial results are promising.

Why it matters: - The collaboration links genotype-level cancer screening data with AI-driven molecule design. - The goal is to turn screening results into new small-molecule drug candidates for cancer patients. - The partnership could shorten the path from data to drug design by combining biological insight and rapid computational design.

What happened: - Vivan Therapeutics and Ad Atomica announced a discovery collaboration on Sept. 16, 2026. - The companies will use Vivan’s screening data to help design new cancer drug candidates. - The work starts with an evaluation phase using selected data from Vivan’s screening program. - The evaluation will test where genotype-informed design can produce promising candidates.

The details: - Vivan screens thousands of drugs and drug combinations against the genetic profiles of individual patients’ tumors. - Ad Atomica uses AI to design new small molecules from scratch. - The partnership combines Vivan’s information on which therapies work in which tumor genotypes with Ad Atomica’s ability to repurpose therapeutics and design new ones. - Laura Towart, founder and CEO of Vivan Therapeutics, said the partnership can help interrogate the data Vivan has generated, unlock its value and turn it into real drug candidates. - Adam Davis, CEO of Ad Atomica, said Vivan has built a proprietary dataset that rarely exists in oncology and that the combined system offers a chance to bring new candidates to patients quickly and effectively. - Vivan says its platform uses genetically engineered Drosophila “avatars” to screen drugs and drug combinations in vivo against an individual patient’s tumor genotype. - Vivan says the platform has generated more than 50 million tumor-drug datapoints to date. - Vivan operates in the United Kingdom, Abu Dhabi Global Market and Beijing. - Ad Atomica is a London-based AI-native drug discovery company. - Ad Atomica’s platform designs new small molecules from synthetic data rather than screening libraries of existing compounds. - Ad Atomica refines designs through a rapid design-make-test cycle. - More information is available on Vivan Therapeutics and Ad Atomica.

Between the lines: - The deal reflects a broader push to pair specialized biological datasets with generative AI in drug discovery. - The initial evaluation stage suggests both companies want proof of concept before expanding the relationship. - The combination of rare oncology data and AI design could make the collaboration more attractive if it produces candidate compounds with clear biological grounding.

What's next: - The companies will assess selected Vivan screening data through Ad Atomica’s platform. - Both sides intend to expand the collaboration if the initial evaluation supports that step. - Any next phase would likely focus on advancing the most promising genotype-informed candidates.

The bottom line: - Vivan and Ad Atomica are trying to convert rare tumor-genotype data into new cancer drug designs, starting with a limited evaluation before scaling the work.