Daiichi Sankyo has expanded its collaboration with virtual biology company Turbine to apply computational modelling to ADC discovery programmes, following the successful completion of an initial feasibility programme.
The expanded collaboration will use Turbine’s vLab platform to run “Virtual Assays” — computational experiments designed to simulate biological responses across large numbers of conditions — with the aim of reducing the number of wet-lab experiments required during ADC discovery.
The approach will also establish a lab-in-the-loop workflow, in which simulated experiments guide data generation and experimental results are subsequently fed back into the computational models.
According to Turbine, this iterative process is intended to improve the predictive performance of subsequent Virtual Assays as additional experimental data become available.
The platform is now being applied to Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary ADC programmes to investigate complex biology and support decisions around candidate selection and development strategy.
The growing complexity of ADC pipelines is making it harder to select appropriate payloads, combinations, indications and biomarkers.
This is particularly relevant as drug developers investigate new payload classes and attempt to understand how ADCs perform across different tumour types and patient populations.
Turbine targets a growing ADC pipeline
Turbine’s vLab is designed to simulate biological experiments at computational scale, allowing researchers to explore large numbers of conditions before selecting hypotheses for experimental validation.
The company says its platform can model cellular responses across millions of conditions and incorporate data from cell lines, patient-derived xenograft models, drugs, combinations and ADCs.
For Daiichi Sankyo, the technology is being deployed against a substantial and expanding ADC portfolio.
The company’s pipeline, as of July 2026, includes trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), patritumab deruxtecan, ifinatamab deruxtecan and raludotatug deruxtecan, alongside other oncology programmes.
Daiichi Sankyo has also continued to expand its ADC activities in 2026, with its DS1025 CD25-directed ADC entering clinical development in August.
Its ADC portfolio incorporates its proprietary DXd technology as well as a separate platform using a modified pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) payload.
The collaboration builds on Turbine’s previous work applying its virtual biology technology to ADC research.
In 2025, the company announced an ADC discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca focused on predicting response mechanisms, informing ADC positioning and reducing the requirement for large-scale cell-line screening.
Szabolcs Nagy, CEO and co-founder of Turbine, said the company expects in silico experimentation to increasingly complement wet-lab research.
“Virtual Assays offer a near-infinite search space and greatly reduce the number of wet-lab experiments needed," said Szabolcs Nagy, CEO and co-founder of Turbine.
We believe in silico experimentation will become the prerequisite for wet lab work and the accelerant across R&D pipelines, transforming R&D productivity.
"With vLab, we've already worked with partners including AstraZeneca and MSD (Merck & Co.) to generate mechanistic insights and prioritise targets and biomarkers in defined patient populations."
"We are excited to expand the collaboration into Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary programmes and combine its data and ADC expertise with Turbine’s vLab platform to accelerate the discovery of novel cancer therapies.”
