Bill and Melinda Gates back UK A.I. start-up developing antiviral drugs to prevent pandemics
Summary
Bill and Melinda Gates attend the Presidential Medals of Freedom ceremonies in the East Room of the White House in Washington, November 22, 2016. Oxford-headquartered Exscientia announced Wednesday that it has signed a four-year deal worth up to $70 million with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The start-up, which competes with the likes of BenevolentAI, said it will use part of the funding to try to develop novel antiviral pills that could be used to treat Covid-19 and stop future pandemics from spreading. "The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic underscores the urgency to develop safe and effective broad-spectrum drugs to expand our armory against viruses and their variants," Exscientia CEO Andrew Hopkins said in a statement. "Small molecule therapeutics could provide a superior approach to guard global health," said Denise Barrault, director of portfolio management at Exscientia, in a statement.