Servier has entered 2026 by announcing two major technology partnerships aimed at accelerating drug discovery, signing agreements with AI specialists Insilico Medicine and Iktos.
The collaborations will integrate AI and robotics into Servier’s research activities, with a particular focus on oncology and neurology.
Signed on 4th January (Iktos) and 8th January (Insilico Medicine), the partnerships are designed to harness advanced computational and automation technologies to speed up the identification and optimisation of novel drug candidates.
Servier will retain responsibility for the clinical development of programmes emerging from both collaborations.
Under the agreement with Iktos, a French company specialising in generative AI and automated chemistry, Servier will use an integrated platform that combines molecular design, synthesis and optimisation.
The platform enables rapid iteration between AI-led compound design, robotic chemical synthesis and biological evaluation, helping to streamline early-stage small-molecule drug discovery across multiple biological targets.
The collaboration is expected to reduce development timelines and improve decision-making in preclinical research.
In parallel, Servier’s partnership with Insilico Medicine, a China- and US-based pioneer in AI-driven drug discovery, will centre on Insilico’s proprietary Pharma.AI platform.
The technology uses advanced algorithms to explore vast biological and chemical spaces, with the aim of identifying promising drug candidates against complex oncology targets that have traditionally been difficult to address using conventional approaches.
Christophe Thurieau, Executive Director of the Research Institute and Global Head of External Research at Servier, said: "The success of Servier’s oncology programmes makes us a credible partner for mutually beneficial collaborations."
"These partnerships illustrate the complementarity between next-generation AI technologies and Servier’s scientific, translational and clinical expertise."
The two deals also underline Servier’s increasingly international approach to research and development partnerships.
By working with Insilico Medicine in China and the US and with Iktos in France and Europe, Servier aims to access leading AI and robotics technologies while supporting its global R&D strategy.