Evogene appoints Irwin and Major to strengthen ChemPass AI for small‑molecule discovery

Evogene adds high-profile scientific advisers to sharpen its AI discovery engine

Evogene Ltd., the Rehovot, Israel–based computational chemistry company, is strengthening scientific leadership of its ChemPass AI™ platform with two academic appointments to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The company announces the additions of Prof. John J. Irwin of the University of California, San Francisco, and Prof. Dan T. Major of Bar‑Ilan University, saying the moves accelerate development of its generative engine for small‑molecule discovery across pharmaceutical and agricultural programs.

New SAB hires target higher‑fidelity molecule generation

Evogene is positioning the appointments to improve ChemPass AI’s ability to generate novel, highly potent small‑molecule candidates optimized simultaneously across multiple parameters. The company says the professors will provide strategic guidance to ensure the platform’s accuracy, robustness and scalability for real‑world discovery programs under its Real‑World Innovation approach. This work addresses both drug development and ag‑chemical innovation by aiming to shorten discovery cycles and raise the probability of downstream development success.

The firm expects the new advisers to help refine core algorithms and expand validated chemical libraries used by ChemPass AI. Evogene emphasizes applicability across diverse R&D requirements, from pharmaceutical efficacy constraints to agricultural performance goals, and intends the SAB to help translate academic advances into practical discovery workflows. The company frames the appointments as reinforcing its technological leadership as it advances both drug and crop‑protection pipelines.

Profiles of the newly appointed advisers

Prof. John Irwin, an adjunct professor in UCSF’s Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is a recognized leader in ligand discovery and virtual screening and the creator of widely used open‑access resources including ZINC, DOCK, SEA and DUD‑E; his work is cited more than 35,000 times. Prof. Dan Major brings complementary expertise in molecular design and computational methods from Bar‑Ilan University, adding depth in algorithm development and method validation.

Strategic outlook and collaboration ambitions

By combining Irwin’s open‑science data resources with Major’s academic expertise, Evogene aims to broaden validated libraries and strengthen collaborative research with academic and industry partners worldwide. The company signals that these SAB additions are intended to fast‑track integration of advanced computational methods into applied drug and ag‑chemical discovery programs.