OSAKA, Japan and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., September 2, 2026
Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has entered into a drug discovery partnership with Aitia, Inc. to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for neurological diseases using Aitia’s causal artificial intelligence platform. Under the agreement, Aitia will apply its proprietary REFS™ technology to build Gemini Digital Twins (GDTs) of neurological diseases and identify potential disease mechanisms, therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Ono will have an exclusive worldwide option right to research, develop and commercialize drug candidates directed at targets identified through the collaboration, strengthening the Japanese pharmaceutical company’s efforts to expand its neurology research pipeline.
Aitia Applies Causal AI to Neurology
The collaboration centers on Aitia’s Gemini Digital Twin platform, which creates virtual patient models designed to reflect disease characteristics observed in real patients. The GDTs are generated using REFS™, Aitia’s causal AI-based technology that integrates patient clinical information and omics data through causal simulations. Unlike conventional AI approaches that primarily identify correlations within large datasets, Aitia’s platform is designed to infer causal relationships that may help reveal previously unrecognized disease mechanisms and therapeutic intervention points. This approach is particularly relevant to neurological disorders, where disease biology can involve complex interactions among genetic, developmental, neural network, immune and environmental factors.
Ono Secures Worldwide Option Rights
Under the partnership, Aitia will conduct the discovery work and use its causal AI technology to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers associated with neurological diseases. Ono will then hold an exclusive worldwide option covering research, development and commercialization of drug candidates directed toward targets emerging from the collaboration. The structure gives Ono access to Aitia’s computational drug discovery capabilities while allowing the companies to focus on identifying biologically meaningful targets in areas where conventional discovery approaches can face significant challenges. The companies expect the application of causal AI and digital patient modeling to potentially accelerate target identification and the development of new medicines for neurological disorders with substantial unmet medical needs.
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Causal AI Supports Ono’s Neurology Strategy
The partnership adds an AI-driven target discovery component to Ono’s broader neurology research strategy, with the potential to generate new therapeutic opportunities from human clinical and molecular data. Aitia’s REFS™ technology is being applied across multiple disease areas, including oncology, neurology and immunology, with its Gemini Digital Twins intended to model disease biology and support the identification of novel drug targets. For Ono, the collaboration represents an effort to leverage advanced computational biology to address neurological diseases whose underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. If the platform successfully identifies actionable targets, Ono’s exclusive worldwide option could provide a pathway for advancing those discoveries into therapeutic development.
Source: Ono Pharmaceutical press relese
