AbbVie and Iambic launch a multi-year collaboration using AI to accelerate small-molecule drug discovery across oncology, immunology and neuroscience.
Written By: Mayuresh Salvi, PharmD
Reviewed By: Pharmacally Editorial Team
AbbVie and Iambic have entered a multi-year collaboration to accelerate small-molecule drug discovery across immunology, neuroscience and oncology, combining AbbVie’s therapeutic-area expertise with Iambic’s artificial intelligence platform. The partnership will pursue drug candidates with first-in-class and best-in-class potential and apply AI to improve molecular design and candidate selection.
AI Platform Targets Multiple Drug Properties
The collaboration will use Iambic’s molecular superintelligence platform, which integrates AI models and drug discovery data to evaluate multiple molecular properties simultaneously rather than optimizing individual characteristics sequentially.
A central component is Enchant v3, Iambic’s next-generation multimodal transformer model. The system integrates biomedical data from different stages of drug discovery and can evaluate multiple drug design hypotheses in parallel. Iambic says Enchant v3 has been trained on data covering more than 6,000 molecular properties.
The platform also incorporates NeuralPLexer, a technology for modeling molecular interactions. Together, these technologies are intended to help researchers identify molecules with a more favorable combination of properties earlier in the discovery process.
Traditional small-molecule discovery often requires scientists to assess properties such as potency, selectivity, pharmacokinetics and safety separately. Iambic’s approach attempts to integrate these considerations into a unified computational workflow, potentially narrowing the number of compounds that require experimental testing.
Collaboration Focuses on Immunology, Neuroscience and Oncology
AbbVie and Iambic will apply the platform across three therapeutic areas: immunology, neuroscience and oncology. The companies did not disclose specific molecular targets or individual development programs.
For AbbVie, the partnership adds an external AI capability to its broader AI@AbbVie strategy, which applies artificial intelligence across research, development, operations and other functions.
Nicholas Donoghoe, M.D., AbbVie’s executive vice president and chief business and strategy officer, said the company expects purpose-built AI tools to support scientific decision-making and accelerate R&D activities.
Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., senior vice president and global head of discovery research at AbbVie, said the collaboration will combine Iambic’s computational platform with AbbVie’s drug-discovery expertise to improve decisions around which molecules to advance.
Financial Terms Include Milestones and Royalties
Under the agreement, Iambic will receive an upfront payment and may receive additional success-based milestone payments. The company is also eligible for tiered royalties on net sales of products generated through the collaboration.
The companies did not disclose the value of the upfront payment, potential milestone payments or royalty ranges.
AI-Enabled Discovery Moves Toward Program Execution
The partnership extends the use of generative and multimodal AI from computational research into a multi-year pharmaceutical discovery program. Its value will ultimately depend on whether AI-generated or AI-prioritized molecules demonstrate suitable pharmacological, pharmacokinetic and safety profiles during experimental validation and subsequent development.
For Iambic, the collaboration provides an opportunity to deploy Enchant v3 and its broader molecular superintelligence platform within the discovery infrastructure of a large pharmaceutical company. For AbbVie, the partnership expands access to AI-based molecular design capabilities across therapeutic areas where new small-molecule medicines remain an important part of pipeline development.
No specific development candidates, clinical programs or regulatory timelines were disclosed as part of the collaboration.
Reference
AbbVie and Iambic Announce Collaboration to Accelerate AI-driven Drug Discovery, AbbVie, 21 September 2026
About the Writer
Mayuresh Sunil Salvi (Linkedin) is a PharmD professional and healthcare writer with a strong interest in pharmacovigilance, drug safety, and emerging medical research. He is passionate about exploring new drug discoveries, clinical research, and advances in evidence-based medicine. His interests also include ward rounds, prescription audits, and treatment analysis to support rational pharmacotherapy and improved patient care.