We're announcing the launch of ONC-001, Omic's first internal oncology program—and the first drug discovery program to emerge entirely from our AI Scientist platform.
The Problem: ICI Resistance
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment, but the majority of patients either don't respond or eventually develop resistance. Understanding and overcoming this resistance is one of the most important challenges in oncology.
Traditional approaches to this problem have focused on single mechanisms. Our AI Scientist took a different approach: systems-level analysis of resistance across multiple tumor types and patient populations.
What Our AI Discovered
After analyzing multi-omics data from thousands of patients, our AI Scientist identified:
- A novel resistance mechanism involving a previously uncharacterized pathway in the tumor microenvironment
- Multiple druggable targets within this pathway
- Biomarkers that predict which patients might benefit from targeting this pathway
- Patient populations most likely to have this resistance mechanism
The key insight was connecting signals across genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data that would have been difficult for human researchers to identify.
Program Status
ONC-001 has advanced rapidly since the AI's initial discovery:
- Target validated in multiple cell line and patient-derived models
- Hit compounds identified through AI-driven virtual screening
- Lead optimization underway with promising early results
- Biomarker assay developed for patient selection
We expect to nominate a development candidate within the next 12-18 months.
The Multi-Target Approach
Unlike traditional single-target programs, ONC-001 is designed as a multi-target approach—modulating multiple nodes in the resistance pathway simultaneously. This reflects our AI's understanding that biological processes are interconnected, and that durable responses often require multi-modal intervention.
What This Means
ONC-001 represents a proof point for our entire approach:
- AI-driven target discovery identified a mechanism that humans missed
- Digital Patient models predicted which patients would benefit
- AI-driven chemistry accelerated hit finding and lead optimization
- Integrated platform compressed timelines at every stage
If successful, ONC-001 could help cancer patients who have run out of options—and validate a fundamentally new approach to drug discovery.
ONC-001 is currently in lead optimization. For partnership inquiries, contact partnerships@omic.ai.
Omic - Building Biological Superintelligence to End Disease