FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Company will utilize its Artemis.AI™ Platform for drug discovery and development and other high-value applications
Vancouver, BC — March 13, 2026 — Artemis Therapeutics Inc. is a privately held drug discovery and development company spun-out from the University of British Columbia (“UBC”). The Company, which is focused on artificial intelligence-driven molecular discovery, announced today the launch of the company and the licensing of UBC’s advanced AI technology platform (the “Artemis.AI™ platform”). Artemis will utilize the Artemis.AI™ platform, embodying more than 20 years of AI/machine learning research by one of the founders of Artemis, Dr. Artem Cherkasov, to accelerate the discovery and development of novel drugs in areas of urgent, unmet medical need.
Artemis Therapeutics is co-founded by Dr. Artem Cherkasov, Dr. Mads Daugaard and Frank Holler. Dr. Cherkasov, Chief Technology Officer, is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Precision Cancer Drug Design. His research focuses on computational approaches to drug discovery, including the development of DeepDocking, an AI-enabled platform for large-scale virtual screening of potential drug candidates. Dr. Daugaard, Chief Scientific Officer, is Head of the Molecular Pathology and Cell Imaging Unit and a Senior Research Scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Frank Holler, Chairman & CEO, has played a leadership role in the founding and development of several Canadian biotechnology companies, including ID Biomedical Corp., Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Built at the intersection of computational chemistry, structural biology, and artificial intelligence, the Artemis.AI™ technology platform enables the rapid and systematic interrogation of chemical and biological systems at large scale with high computational efficiency. The underlying technology is a validated drug discovery platform. Research led by Dr. Artem Cherkasov at the University of British Columbia has generated a number of drug candidates that have been licensed to pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology partners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Cherkasov’s team used DeepDocking to screen more than 40 billion compounds against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease in 19 days to identify potential inhibitors. While the platform is primarily being applied to therapeutic drug discovery and development, it has been intentionally architected to extend well beyond traditional drug development into adjacent scientific and industrial applications where molecular interaction and prediction are critical.
Dr. Artem Cherkasov, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, commented:
“Artemis was founded to move beyond conventional limits in molecular discovery. The Artemis.AI™ platform is designed for both breadth and depth – allowing us to explore chemical space at a scale that was previously unattainable, while maintaining the rigor needed to generate actionable molecular insights. While human therapeutics is a natural starting point, the underlying technology has far broader potential.”
To guide Artemis through its strategic development, Frank Holler has been appointed Chairman & CEO. Holler has decades of experience in the biotechnology sector and has helped build several Canadian biopharmaceutical companies, including ID Biomedical Corp., which was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline for approximately $1.6 billion; Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Xenon Pharmaceuticals, a NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company advancing a clinical-stage neuroscience pipeline.
Frank Holler, Chairman & CEO, said:
“What drew me to Artemis is the depth, flexibility, and capability of the Artemis.AI™ platform. Unlike AI companies that provide services to industry, our strategy at Artemis is to own the drug candidates we identify and advance them through functional validation (safety and efficacy) in order to capture the full value of these assets. This is not a single-asset story – it is a discovery engine capable of creating value across therapeutics and beyond. Drs. Cherkasov and Daugaard have built something genuinely differentiated, and I’m excited to help advance Artemis to achieve its strategic, value-creating objectives.”
Artemis has completed Tranche 1 of its initial seed financing. The company remains privately held and is currently advancing its internal drug discovery programs while selectively engaging with strategic partners aligned with its Artemis.AI™ technology platform.
About Artemis Therapeutics
Artemis Therapeutics Inc. is a privately held drug discovery and development company utilizing advanced artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate the identification and development of novel therapeutics. Built on the Artemis.AI™ platform, the company integrates computational chemistry, structural biology and machine learning to enable the exploration of complex chemical and biological systems at scale.
Learn more at www.artemistherapeutics.ai
Contact
Frank Holler, Chairman & CEO
ARTEMIS THERAPEUTICS INC.
fholler@artemistherapeutics.ai
(604) 970-9011
Vanessa Ooms
VANOOMS MEDIA INC.
(250) 644-6445