Axxam and Symeres Integrated Drug Discovery
Connecting advanced biology with chemistry and development expertise
Axxam brings deep expertise in target biology, assay development, screening and in vitro pharmacology to drug discovery. Through our strategic alliance with Symeres, these capabilities are complemented by medicinal and synthetic chemistry, ADME/DMPK, developability and early CMC, supporting drug discovery from early target and hit assessment through lead optimization and candidate selection.
Our alliance combines complementary scientific strengths around shared objectives, enabling more informed decisions and helping translate biological insights into optimized compounds without requiring clients to coordinate multiple specialist partners themselves.
At the core of this integrated approach, Axxam provides a powerful biological engine that connects seamlessly with Symeres’ chemistry, DMPK and development expertise as compounds progress toward candidate selection.
One scientific team. Complementary expertise. One coordinated path forward.
One program voice
Scientific leads work to one plan; single project management
Decision quality
Data are organized around the next go / no go decision
Development-aware
CMC and DMPK risks assessed before candidate selection
Client flexibility
Start at any stage, from targeted support to full integration
Bringing chemistry closer to biology
The Axxam-Symeres alliance enables biology and chemistry to work in close interaction throughout the discovery process. Axxam contributes from AI-enabled target identification and wet-lab target validation to assay development and hit finding. Depending on the target and scientific objectives, hit-finding strategies can draw on multiple approaches and readouts, including high-content screening and electrophysiology. These activities can connect directly with Symeres’ expertise in medicinal and computational chemistry, parallel and synthetic chemistry, hit-to-lead and lead optimization, ADME/DMPK, process and scale-up chemistry, solid-state science, formulation and early CMC.
Biological data generated by Axxam can directly inform compound design and optimization, while insights from medicinal chemistry and ADME/DMPK can guide the selection of compounds for further biological characterization. This iterative exchange allows emerging data to continuously inform the next scientific step, supporting SAR interpretation, compound prioritization and early identification of potential liabilities.
At any stage of the discovery process, the alliance provides the flexibility to introduce additional disciplines as scientific questions evolve. By connecting these disciplines within a coordinated workflow, the alliance supports more informed, evidence-driven decisions as compounds progress, without the delays associated with conventional CRO-to-CRO handover. The objective is not to perform every possible experiment. It is to generate the evidence needed to make the next informed decision.
Highlights on dedicated platforms
DMPK and oncology platforms
The Symeres DMPK platform, powered by Admescope, provides deeper ADME and PK expertise across metabolism, permeability, transporters, drug interactions and bioanalysis.
For oncology programs, the Symeres oncology platform, powered by Oncolines, provides cancer-cell-line profiling, biomarker and bioinformatics analysis and biophysical characterization.
Targeted protein degradation
The alliance also supports a dedicated Axxam-Symeres degrader platform, combining Axxam’s expertise in degrader biology and assay development with Symeres’ capabilities in degrader design, parallel synthesis, medicinal chemistry, ADME/DMPK and developability, complemented by the Oncolines oncology cell panel. The platform can support programs from binder identification and degradation-assay development through library synthesis, mechanistic validation and iterative optimization.
Integrated when needed, flexible by design
The Axxam-Symeres alliance is designed to connect complementary scientific disciplines without adding unnecessary complexity to the program. Clients benefit from direct interaction with the scientists responsible for each activity, with Axxam and Symeres teams aligned around shared scientific objectives, milestones and reporting, enabling an open and efficient exchange of data and scientific insight throughout the process.
The level of integration can evolve according to the needs of each project. Clients can engage Axxam or Symeres for individual specialist activities or combine complementary capabilities around a specific discovery challenge. This flexibility means that programs do not need to adopt a fixed model. The scientific requirements of the program determine which capabilities are brought together.
Start from where your project stands.
Add the expertise needed for the next scientific question.
Keep biology and chemistry connected as compounds advance.
Axxam and Symeres have already worked together on multiple discovery programs across different therapeutic areas. This established collaboration provides a strong foundation for an integrated approach in which Axxam’s biological engine remains closely connected with Symeres’ chemistry, DMPK and development expertise as compounds progress.