Schrödinger, a provider of a computational platform used to accelerate drug discovery and materials design, revealed on Friday that it has received a milestone payment from Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd.

Ono has used Schrödinger's advanced computational platform to develop novel therapeutic candidates acting on its therapeutic target.

Under the programme, Schrödinger deployed its reaction-based enumeration tools and machine-learning technologies to identify and filter potential ligands for the target under the collaboration. Its physics-based computational assays were then used to predict potency with experimental accuracy. The integration of physics-based molecular simulations with machine learning enabled efficient prioritization of promising therapeutic candidates, reducing the number of compounds that had to be synthesized.

In conjunction, Schrödinger said its research collaborations with leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies around the world have already led to two FDA-approved oncology drugs and several clinical-stage assets. More than two dozen additional programmes across multiple indications are moving through discovery and development.