Bayer partners with Cradle to deploy AI platform across antibody research
The three-year collaboration will see the pharmaceuticals group integrate generative artificial intelligence into its antibody discovery and optimisation workflows, as large drugmakers look to scale AI beyond isolated pilot projects.
Bayer has agreed a three-year collaboration with Cradle to deploy Cradle’s scientific artificial intelligence software platform for protein engineering across Bayer’s therapeutic antibody research and development.
The companies said Bayer will integrate Cradle’s generative AI platform into its existing R&D workflows, with the aim of accelerating lead generation and optimisation across its antibody pipeline. The technology is designed to support iterative design-test-learn cycles, allowing scientists to explore and refine antibody candidates more efficiently.
“We believe AI-driven molecule design, discovery and optimization will be a key accelerator of our productivity moving forward,” said Anastasia Hager, Ph.D., Global Head of Drug Discovery Sciences at Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division. “Cradle’s platform provides us with scalable scientist-centric solutions to maximize the opportunities in our biologics portfolio and potentially deliver faster, more effective medicines to patients.”
Under the agreement, Bayer’s antibody scientists will receive full access to Cradle’s platform, enabling what the companies described as a lab-in-the-loop approach. This is intended to coordinate work across internal laboratories and external partners, and to embed AI directly into day-to-day experimental decision-making rather than treating it as a separate analytics layer.
Cradle said Bayer selected its platform following a successful proof of concept and after evaluating several vendors. In addition to the commercial deployment, the two companies will jointly work on a machine learning research project to extend the platform’s capabilities further, according to the statement.
Stef van Grieken, co-founder and chief executive of Cradle, said the deal reflects changing expectations among large pharmaceutical companies. “Bayer’s decision reflects a broader shift we’re seeing: leading drug discovery organizations want AI that scales across portfolios, formats, and teams without requiring every scientist to become an ML expert or limiting AI’s impact to asset-based deals,” he said.
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Cradle said its platform is currently used by six of the top 25 global pharmaceutical companies and supports more than 50 R&D programmes, with the potential to speed development cycles by up to 12x.
Bayer reported that in fiscal 2024 it employed around 93,000 people, generated sales of €46.6 billion and spent €6.2 billion on research and development, underlining the scale at which AI tools are increasingly being deployed within big pharma research operations.
The Recap
- Three-year collaboration to deploy Cradle’s AI protein engineering platform.
- Bayer will integrate the platform into therapeutic antibody R&D.
- Companies will jointly pursue a machine learning research project.
