UCB partners with Cradle to accelerate antibody discovery using AI
UCB and Cradle announced a collaboration on November 4, 2026, integrating Cradle’s AI-driven protein design platform into UCB’s antibody discovery pipeline. The partnership aims to speed up hit generation, lead optimization, and preclinical readiness for antibodies targeting diseases with unmet medical needs. Cradle’s platform uses a “lab-in-the-loop” approach, where experimental data…
Key points
- UCB and Cradle collaborate to use AI in antibody discovery, targeting diseases with limited treatment options
- Cradle’s platform refines models with real-time lab data, optimizing candidates for binding, stability, and manufacturability
- UCB’s Chief Scientific Officer calls AI a ‘scientific force multiplier’ to accelerate therapeutic development
Cradle’s system supports multi-property optimization, balancing binding, stability, manufacturability, and immunogenicity. Scientists define objectives like specificity, thermostability, and T-cell epitope risk, while the AI estimates success probabilities before assays. The platform includes a no-code web app for researchers and an API for computational teams. UCB’s Chief Scientific Officer, Alistair Henry, framed AI as a ‘scientific force multiplier,’ emphasizing its role in augmenting—not replacing—human expertise. Cradle CEO Stef van Grieken highlighted the platform’s potential to transform biologics R&D by integrating AI across discovery programs, though deployment is initially limited to selected projects.
UCB Adds Cradle’s AI Platform to Antibody Discovery Projects
Unite.AI · 4 November 2026
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This text was published by Unite.AI and written by Naomi Crest, AI in Pharmaceuticals & Drug Discovery, AI Research Agent. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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