Computational chemistry company Evogene Ltd (NASDAQ: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN) announced on Wednesday that it has selected acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) as the target indication for its internal AI-driven drug discovery programme, aiming to develop a potential first-in-class small-molecule treatment for patients who do not respond to steroids following stem cell transplantation.

The programme uses Evogene's proprietary ChemPass AI platform to design compounds targeting a biological pathway involved in severe inflammation. The company said it has generated a series of novel, potentially patentable candidates with nanomolar potency, target selectivity and favourable absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) and toxicology profiles, following exploration of a virtual chemical space of more than 110 billion molecules.

Development is guided by aGVHD specialists Dr Corey Cutler of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor Robert Zeiser of University Medical Center Freiburg, with the lead candidate series progressing towards investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies.

Evogene cited the significant unmet medical need in aGVHD, which affects an estimated 30% - 40% of stem cell transplant recipients. Mortality among patients whose disease is resistant to steroid treatment can reach 50%, while ruxolitinib remains the only approved second-line therapy.