GSK leverages Ochre's data to understand liver disease drivers

GSK is embarking on a new initiative to better understand liver diseases by collaborating with Ochre Bio through a multi-year data licensing agreement. This partnership, worth up to $37.5 million, provides GSK access to Ochre's extensive datasets and advanced technology, enabling deeper insights into the mechanisms driving liver diseases without sacrificing biological complexity.

This agreement follows a significant deal between Ochre Bio and Boehringer Ingelheim, potentially valued at up to $1 billion, aimed at developing regenerative treatments for chronic liver conditions, including late-stage metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) cirrhosis.

At the heart of the GSK-Ochre Bio partnership is the co-creation of a foundational liver biology dataset, which leverages Ochre's expertise in computational biology, cellular models, and perfused human organ platforms. Additionally, GSK gains non-exclusive access to Ochre’s historical liver data libraries.

GSK's liver-related clinical assets currently focus on primary biliary cholangitis, MASH, and hepatitis B. The latter includes several programs in its pipeline, notably the Phase III candidate bepirovirsen. While the recent announcement did not specify particular disease targets, it emphasized the broad scope of liver diseases that GSK aims to tackle with Ochre's data.

Liver diseases present formidable challenges for drug developers. However, Ochre believes its platform can mitigate the high rate of clinical failures by providing a more nuanced understanding of the human liver. Jack O'Meara, co-founder and CEO of Ochre Bio, pointed out that the scientific community has not extensively characterized liver disease processes as thoroughly as it has in areas like oncology or neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, existing data has not been effectively used to improve translational models beyond animal studies.

In an interview, O'Meara elaborated on the specifics of the new GSK deal. He mentioned plans to co-create a new dataset using perturbation experiments. These experiments involve using RNA to knock out specific genes and then studying the resultant phenotypic changes to understand the role of individual genes in liver disease. Ochre will also utilize its organ perfusion platform to generate single-cell sequencing data, examining liver performance in an ex vivo device. This data will help train more models for discovery purposes.

One of Ochre Bio's initial major projects involved a partnership with the University of Oxford. Together, they sourced hundreds of biopsies from liver disease patients and used spatial sequencing technology to observe disease progression in each sample. This deep phenotyping approach has since evolved, incorporating perturbation atlases to better understand causality early in the drug discovery process.

Although Ochre has yet to disclose specific programs, the company has been focused on developing its basic biology platforms and datasets to guide target selection. O'Meara suggested that more detailed announcements regarding their progress would be forthcoming soon.

Overall, the GSK-Ochre Bio partnership represents a significant step toward advancing the understanding and treatment of liver diseases. By harnessing cutting-edge data and technology, the collaboration aims to overcome existing challenges in liver disease research and pave the way for more effective therapeutic strategies.