Canadian-led alliance harnesses AI for drug discovery

TORONTO – University Health Network (UHN), the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are joining forces to lead a major international initiative to change how medicines are discovered using artificial intelligence (AI). Canadian partners have secured a $26-million grant through Horizon Europe’s Innovative Health Initiative, supporting the LIGAND-AI project – one of the largest global efforts in open-science drug discovery.

The global consortium, led by Pfizer and SGC, is advancing the project called LIGAND-AI, which brings together 18 public and private sector partners across nine countries. LIGAND-AI will generate open, high-quality datasets of protein-ligand interactions for thousands of human proteins, enabling the training of AI models to predict new drug-like molecules. This work supports Target 2035, a global mission to develop pharmacological tools for every human protein by 2035, catalyzing research and opening new paths to precision therapies.

“This collaboration is about turning data into solutions,” said Dr. Brad Wouters (pictured left), executive vice president, science and research, UHN. “By combining UHN’s translational research strengths with cutting-edge AI and SGC’s open-science model, we are building the foundation for faster, more efficient drug discovery that will ultimately deliver better treatments for patients everywhere.”

The partnership reflects SGC’s vision to catalyze early drug discovery by creating open-access tools, knowledge, and reagents for understudied proteins while advancing UHN’s strategic commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technologies to improve health care worldwide. By aligning SGC’s global open-science mission with UHN’s strong research ecosystem and SickKids’ expertise in advanced genomics and rare diseases, this collaboration will drive discovery-focused innovation from molecular level to ensuring that new tools and insights are shared and scaled for maximum impact.

As a founding partner, SickKids will lead the prioritization of disease-relevant targets and drive AI-enabled high-throughput screening to accelerate the discovery and validation of new therapeutic leads.

“LIGAND-AI represents a transformative step for precision therapeutics, powered by Canadian-led science and a commitment to real-world impact. SickKids is proud to help lead this consortium’s efforts in identifying disease targets, deploying state-of-the-art technologies for open-access drug discovery and engaging patient representatives alongside academic and industry partners to guide scientific discovery,” said Dr. Stephen Scherer (pictured right), chief of research at SickKids. “This collaborative approach, combined with our nation’s strengths in research, technology, and open science, sets a new benchmark for how Canadian institutions can harness AI to deliver meaningful breakthroughs for patients worldwide.”

Together, UHN, SickKids, and SGC form a uniquely Canadian alliance built on strong collaborations with the University of Toronto, McGill University, and partners across the country.

This initiative is among the first under Canada’s new association with Horizon Europe, enabling full participation in EU-funded research and positioning the country at the forefront of AI-driven, open-science drug discovery. It also underscores the need for sustained investment to keep Canadian science globally competitive, accelerate life-saving therapies, and improve health outcomes for patients.

“It’s exciting to me that Canada is leading this new public-private partnership in AI and drug discovery. I think this reflects Canada’s strengths in this area of science, as well as in our ability to coordinate open, cross-sector, and cross-geography collaborations,” says Dr. Aled Edwards, CEO of the SGC.

Beyond discovery, LIGAND-AI will build the next generation of scientific talent, offering hands-on training in AI, data science, and translational research. These programs will not only reinforce Canada’s leadership in collaborative, data-driven innovation but also ensure the country develops the expertise needed to shape the future of precision medicine worldwide.