Image Source: Pexels
 

An Introduction

The pharmaceutical industry is embracing:

• AI to streamline drug discovery and development (for an in-depth insight go here) and
• research into the adaptability of a variety of psychedelic compound-based ingredients for the treatment of, as yet, untreatable diseases.

This article identifies 10 such clinical-stage AI-powered (designated with *) and psychedelic compound-based (designated with **)  small cap ($400M to $2.0B) drug discovery companies in a new Clinical-Stage BioTech Drug Stocks Index, and highlights their stock performances last week and YTD, areas of focus, market capitalizations, and links to the most recent news on each where available.
 

Clinical-Stage BioTech Drug Stocks Index

1. *Relay Therapeutics (RLAY): UP 1.9% last week; DOWN 36.1% YTD
   • specializes in developing an artificial intelligence-driven allosteric drug-discovery platform intended to detects and characterizes interactions that occur on a protein of interest and combines computational methods with experimental approaches across the fields of structural biology, biophysics, and chemistry. Its initial focus on precision oncology and genetic diseases.
   • Market Capitalization: $922M
   • Most Recent News:
     • Relay Therapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Corporate Highlights
2. *Absci Corporation (ABSI): UP 1.6% last week; DOWN 38.8% YTD
   • focuses on antibody design, creating new from scratch antibodies (“de novo antibodies”), and testing them in laboratories in a 6-week process.
   • Market Capitalization: $658M
   • Most Recent News:
     • Absci Reports Business Updates and Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial and Operating Results
3. **GH Research (GHRS): UP 0.4% last week; UP 92.9% YTD
   • focuses on the use of mebufotenin, the new International non-proprietary name for 5-MeO-DMT, which stands for 5-MethOxy-N,N-DiMeThyltryptamine. 
   •  Go here for much more extensive information on DMT.
   • Market Capitalization: $582M
   • Most Recent News:
     • GH Research Reports Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Provides Business Updates
4. *AbCellera Biologics (ABCL): No Change last week; DOWN 24.0% YTD
   • develops antibody therapeutics and then outsources their initial findings to their partners for further drug discovery.
   • Market Capitalization: $1,270M
   • Most Recent News:
   • AbCellera Presents Data on T-Cell Engagers Against Four Tumor Targets at AACR 2024
5. *Schrödinger (SDGR): DOWN 1.7% last week; DOWN 26.1% YTD
   • specializes in offering solutions for both small molecule discovery and biologics discovery focusing on structure prediction and protein engineering, including antibody modeling.
   • Market Capitalization: $1,919M
   • Most Recent News:
     • Schrödinger Reports Strong Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Financial Results
6. *Exscientia (EXAI): DOWN 3.7% last week; DOWN 27.3% YTD
   • reported the first AI-designed drug candidate to enter clinical trials and is collaborating with Bristol-Myers Squibb on a handful of drug candidates and has partnered with Sanofi, GSK and PathAI on drug discovery projects.
   • Market Capitalization: $587M
   • Recent News:
     • Exscientia Business and Financial Update for the Full Year 2023
7. *Recursion Pharmaceuticals (RXRX); DOWN 5.2% last week; DOWN 14.7% YTD
   • has one of the world’s most extensive biological and chemical datasets and has several compounds in phase 1 and 2 studies, including a small molecule therapeutic for cavernous cerebral malformation and another for neurofibromatosis type 2.
   • Market Capitalization: $1,980M
   • Recent News:
     • Recursion Provides Business Updates and Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results
8. **atai Life Sciences (ATAI): DOWN 6.1% last week; UP 63.1% YTD
   • focuses on the use of ketamine, DMT and ibogaine.  Go here for much more extensive information on Ketamine and here for much more extensive information on DMT.
   • Market Capitalization: $382M
   • Recent News:
     • atai Life Sciences Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Provides Corporate and Clinical Highlights
9. **Compass Pathways (CMPS): DOWN 8.8% last week; DOWN 1.0% YTD
   • focuses on the use of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in their research. Go here for much more extensive information on Psilocybin.
   • Market Capitalization: $592M
   • Recent News:
     • Compass Pathways Board Chair and Co-Founders Step Down from Board of Directors
10. **Mind Medicine (MNMD): DOWN 12.1% last week; UP 11.7% YTD
    • focuses on the use of LSD and MNMA. Go here for much more extensive information on LSD and here for much more extensive information on MNMA.
    • Market Capitalization:
    • Recent News: $682M
      • MindMed Announces Voluntary Delisting from Cboe Canada

Summary

On average, the above 10 stocks were DOWN 3.5% last week and are now DOWN 4.4% YTD.

In addition to the above small cap and primarily clinical-stage companies there are 12 Big Pharma companies using AI to transform the landscape of drug discovery, clinical trials and manufacturing, namely: Moderna, Sanofi, Pfizer, Novartis, Janssen, Astra Zeneca, Bristol Myers, Bayer, Merck, GSK, Roche and Lilly. Source

More By This Author:

Marijuana Stocks Followed The Leader Last Week Tumbling 12%, On Average
AI Surge Has Ended: All 7 AI Stock Categories Declined This Week
Largest Psychedelic Drug Stocks Up Another 10% Last Week; Now Up 54% YTD