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Concept Life Sciences Partners with OpenBench to Deliver Success-Based Drug Discovery Services for Early-Stage Biotech
CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, United Kingdom and SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Concept Life Sciences, a leading global contract research organization (CRO) with expertise in integrated drug discovery and development, and OpenBench, a pioneer of success-based AI hit discovery, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate hit identification for biotech companies through a fee-for-success model.
The partnership pairs OpenBench’s structure-based AI-driven discovery platform with Concept Life Sciences’ medicinal chemistry, in-vitro screening and validation capabilities. Together, both companies offer biotech clients a path from target to validated hit series in as little as six months, while removing upfront cost and scientific risk.
OpenBench virtually screens trillions of compounds, synthesizing the most promising, high-quality hits before advancing them to Concept Life Sciences for rapid in-vitro testing and validation. OpenBench funds all upfront discovery activities and applies a success-based fee only when validated hits are delivered, shifting early-stage risk entirely away from the client. Concept Life Sciences extends the value and scope of the partnership through its integrated ‘design-make-test’ capabilities, enabling seamless, rapid progression of promising hit series towards clinical development across therapeutic modalities and indications.
“Biotechs need faster, lower-risk paths to high-quality chemical starting points — particularly in today’s funding environment,” said Steven L. Holshouser, Head of Business Development, North America at Concept Life Sciences. “By combining OpenBench’s success-based discovery model with our integrated development capabilities, we’re giving clients a highly efficient route from target to validated, developable hits.”
“Our mission is to remove the biggest barrier in early discovery: upfront cost and uncertainty,” said Lewis Martin, Chief Scientific Officer at OpenBench. “We deliver validated chemical leads before our partners spend a dollar, enabling biotech companies to focus resources on advancing programs with real potential.”
At a time when biotech funding continues to remain constrained, OpenBench and Concept Life Sciences introduce a capital-efficient alternative to traditional discovery models, allowing companies to access high-quality, developable chemical matter while reducing the cost and risk associated with early-stage R&D. This partnership enables biotech companies to rapidly build stronger pipelines while optimizing resources for downstream development.
Companies interested in learning more can visit the landing page or meet the teams at BIO International Convention next month.
About Concept Life Sciences
Concept Life Sciences is a leading CRO delivering integrated drug discovery and development solutions to the global life sciences industry. With over 25 years’ experience, Concept Life Sciences combines deep scientific expertise with a collaborative, insight-driven approach to solving complex R&D challenges across a broad range of therapeutic areas. We have a track record for translating innovations into viable therapeutics and to date have successfully helped 29 candidates advance to the clinic.
The company provides end-to-end capabilities across translational biology, chemistry, and analytical services, supporting programs from concept to clinic across modalities including small molecules, biologics, peptides, and cell & gene therapies. These capabilities have helped its customers advance their drugs from concept to clinic in as little as 32 months, well ahead of the industry average of 60 months.
Driven by a passion for science, Concept Life Sciences has around 230 employees, over 70% of whom hold PhDs. The company operates from state-of-the-art UK facilities, headquartered near Manchester, with additional specialist operations in Edinburgh, Dundee, and Sandwich. For more information visit www.conceptlifesciences.com.
About OpenBench
OpenBench, Inc. is pioneering fee-for-success early discovery collaborations to fuel the pipelines of the world’s most innovative therapeutics companies. OpenBench’s structure-based artificial intelligence platform has designed and confirmed the most potent known chemical matter for a dozen target binding sites, discovering agonists, competitive and allosteric inhibitors, and potent non-functional binders for use in proximity-inducing modalities. Our success-driven collaboration model begets scientific accountability, R&D time and cost efficiency, and paves the way to better patient outcomes. To learn more, visit https://www.openbench.com.
Media contacts
Concept Life Sciences
Clare Whitewoods – Marketing Director
Clare.Whitewoods@conceptlifesciences.com
OpenBench
Michael Baksh – Business Development Manager
Mike.Baksh@openbench.com
Scius Communications (for Concept Life Sciences)
Katja Stout
+44 778 943 5990
katja@sciuscommunications.com
Daniel Gooch
+44 7747 875479
daniel@sciuscommunications.com
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