UCB partners with Cradle to design its antibodies with artificial intelligence

Cradle's platform applied from discovery to preclinical development

UCB, a biopharmaceutical group listed on Euronext Brussels, and Cradle, which develops an artificial intelligence-based protein design and engineering platform, have announced a strategic collaboration. UCB will apply Cradle's platform within selected research projects.

The scope covers the discovery chain, from the generation of the first active molecules to the optimization of lead molecules and preparation for the preclinical phase. The agreement complements UCB's computing capabilities, its own antibody discovery platform, and its network of technology and research partners.

A learning loop between predictive models and the laboratory

The arrangement relies on a back-and-forth between computation and experimentation. As UCB's scientists use the platform on their programs, experimental results continuously feed models specific to each program, a cumulative learning loop referred to as “lab-in-the-loop”.

Alistair Henry, Chief Scientific Officer of UCB, presents AI “not as something to pursue for its own sake, but as a scientific force multiplier that strengthens human expertise”. According to him, predictive modeling combined with laboratory validation makes it possible to “potentially design better molecules” and to “learn faster”.

For Cradle, deployment across the research organization

Stef van Grieken, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Cradle, believes that “AI will have its greatest impact on biologics R&D when it can be deployed beyond individual experiments or programs”.

According to him, the partnership should provide UCB's scientists with “a common platform to apply AI to more programs, more modalities and more complex engineering challenges”.

UCB, focused on serious diseases of the immune system and the central nervous system, employs more than 9,000 people in approximately 40 countries and reported revenue of €7.7 billion in 2025.