PYC Therapeutics has announced plans to enter a collaboration with Google Cloud for the development of new precision medicines.

The parties will establish tailored machine learning models that merge AlphaFold [an artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by the company DeepMind] and its successors, hosted on the AI platform of Google Cloud.

This initiative, which is known as the Project, will utilise PYC's precision medicine data sets to forecast ideal peptide sequences and structures. This will aid in offering precision medicine cargoes to cells in the human body.

Through the prediction and validation of such peptides, the Project maintains a robust synergy between biological (in vitro) and computational (in silico) drug discovery aspects, guaranteeing pharmacological significance.

PYC will partner with Google Cloud and other specialised partners for the Project.

The specialised partners comprise GoPomel and a new special-purpose vehicle.

PYC will receive A$4.5m ($3m) from the partners in upfront payment to access its data sets and capabilities.

The company will provide the A$10m needed to run the Project during 2024.

It intends to fund the Project's expenses through its existing working capital reserves.

PYC will retain intellectual property rights developed during the Project while Google will hold the rights to publish the machine learning model processes.

The agreements for the Project follow industry standards for such collaborations.

A clinical-stage biotech company, PYC develops RNA therapies to treat genetic ailments, using a drug delivery platform to bolster their potency.

It has advanced a drug candidate for paediatric eye disease into human trials and is advancing other programmes into clinical trials.