Tours, France – October 20, 2026 – MAbSilico, a TechBio company leveraging artificial intelligence for therapeutic antibody discovery, today announced its selection as a key partner in three European Commission-funded consortia. The company will apply its computational platform to accelerate the development of much-needed treatments for Mpox, Nipah, and Lassa fever, three priority pathogens with few or no approved therapeutic options.
The announcement comes as part of a broader European effort to bolster pandemic preparedness, with the European Commission providing €41 million in funding to be shared among the partners of the three consortia. This funding will cover the research, preclinical testing, and manufacturing required to advance each program’s lead candidate into Phase 1 clinical trials.
MAbSilico’s role is to address a critical bottleneck in antibody development. Traditional methods rely on successive rounds of laboratory testing, which can take months. MAbSilico’s platform models antibody structure, target binding, and developability in silico, allowing only the most promising variants to be produced and tested. This AI-driven approach can design high-affinity candidates against a given target in as little as 21 days—a critical speed advantage when preparing for outbreak-prone viruses.
Addressing Three High-Priority Viral Threats
The three consortia will target viruses identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as significant public health threats:
- Mpox (THANATOS): In June 2026, 33 countries reported confirmed cases to the WHO, and clade Ib is now spreading locally in several European countries, including France. While vaccines exist, no monoclonal antibody has been approved to treat the disease.
- Nipah (HENIPROTECT): According to the WHO, the virus kills 40% to 75% of the people it infects and is listed among its priority pathogens. Outbreaks occur almost every year in Bangladesh and India, and no vaccine or treatment has been approved.
- Lassa (MALASSA): Endemic in West Africa, Lassa fever causes an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 infections and about 5,000 deaths a year, according to the WHO. No vaccine has been licensed to date.
“We are incredibly proud to be selected by the European Commission and our esteemed consortium partners to tackle some of the most dangerous viral threats facing the world today,” said Vincent Puard, CEO of MAbSilico. “Our computational design and optimization solutions are specifically built to reduce the time and risk associated with traditional antibody discovery. By applying our technology to Lassa, Mpox, and Nipah, we aim to accelerate the delivery of safe, highly effective, and much-needed therapeutics to the clinic, ensuring the world is better prepared for these infectious outbreaks.”
This major European project follows MAbSilico’s recent launch in late September of a new developability and manufacturability assessment service in partnership with Sartorius.
About the Programs
- THANATOS aims to develop the first broad-spectrum, scalable antibody therapy against orthopoxviruses, whether they arise from natural outbreaks or biological threats.
- HENIPROTECT is developing the first inhaled antibody therapy against Nipah and Hendra viruses, delivered by nebulization, with GMP and microalgae-based production.
- MALASSA combines antibody discovery, AI-based modeling, GMP manufacturing, clinical research, and endemic-area logistics to bring LAVA-01 to patients and build capacity in the regions where Lassa fever is endemic.
About MAbSilico
MAbSilico is a TechBio company that uses artificial intelligence and computational modeling to discover and optimize therapeutic antibodies. Its predictive tools for antibody structure, target binding, and developability help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies cut development time and cost while raising the probability of clinical success. Founded in 2017, the company is based in Tours, France. www.mabsilico.com | LinkedIn
Funding Acknowledgement
Funded by the European Union under Grant Agreements No. 101288101 (THANATOS), No. 101286662 (HENIPROTECT) and No. 101288614 (MALASSA). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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