Japanese pharmaceutical company Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (TYO:4528) said on Wednesday that it has entered into a drug discovery partnership with US biotechnology company Aitia Inc to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for neurological diseases using Aitia's causal AI-based REFS technology.

Under the agreement, Aitia will develop Gemini Digital Twins of neurological diseases to infer causal relationships and identify potential drug targets. Ono will have an exclusive worldwide option to research, develop and commercialise drug candidates targeting discoveries generated through the collaboration.

The partnership is intended to address the complex interactions among genetic, developmental, neural network, immune and environmental factors associated with neurological diseases. Ono said the collaboration is expected to support its efforts to expand its neurology research and development pipeline and accelerate the development of new treatments.