Open Targets
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHinxton, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Open Targets firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Targets
- Legal name
- Open Targets
- Website
- https://opentargets.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Targets industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Drug Discovery Informatics
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Multi-Omics Precision Medicine Platforms (genomics/proteomics/metabolomics) (HLAAANAF), Single-Cell & Spatial Omics Discovery Platforms (target ID/validation, functional profiling) (HLAAAIAF), Biomarker Discovery & Validation (omics, assay feasibility, clinical validation) (HLAAAMAA)
Keywords
Where Open Targets is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hinxton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Open Targets business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Pre-competitive Consortium Funding: Open Targets is a pre-competitive research consortium funded by pharmaceutical industry partners (Genentech, GSK, MSD, Pfizer, Sanofi) and research grants from organisations such as Wellcome and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The consortium operates at the interface of academic and pharma industry science to improve how therapeutic drug targets are identified and prioritised. No commercial revenue is generated from the free platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Open Targets product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Targets operates the Open Targets Platform, a freely-available, comprehensive, open-source web platform that aggregates multiple public data sources (GWAS Catalog, eQTL Catalogue, ChEMBL, ClinicalTrials.gov via AACT, UniProt, IntAct, Reactome, Europe PMC and others) and uses machine learning to help scientists identify and prioritise potential therapeutic drug targets. Beyond the platform, the consortium develops and distributes a suite of specialised open-source informatics tools (BE-view, SMaSH, CELLector, Project Score, CRISPRcleanR, DoRothEA, CHEERS, Effectorness, eQTL Catalogue) and an MCP server exposing platform data to LLM workflows.
Product overview
Open Targets is a pre-competitive consortium comprising academic partners (EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Sanger Institute) and pharmaceutical companies (Genentech, GSK, MSD, Pfizer, Sanofi) that operates primarily through its flagship Open Targets Platform. This freely-available, comprehensive, open-source web platform aggregates multiple public data sources—including GWAS Catalog, ChEMBL, eQTL Catalogue, and clinical trial databases—to help scientists systematically identify and prioritise potential therapeutic drug targets. The consortium also develops and maintains a portfolio of specialized open-source informatics tools including BE-view (base editing analysis), SMaSH (single-cell RNA-seq marker genes), CELLector (tumour cell line selection), Project Score (CRISPR screen exploration), CRISPRcleanR (CRISPR artifact correction), DoRothEA (transcription factor-drug interactions), CHEERS (GWAS enrichment), and Effectorness (immune cell mapping). Supporting infrastructure includes the Open Targets Community forum for user support, the Open Targets Blog for technical documentation, and the officially supported MCP server for AI integration with Claude. The Perturbation Catalogue project extends the ecosystem with genetic perturbation data integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Open Targets Platform A freely-available, open-source web platform that aggregates public data sources (GWAS Catalog, eQTL Catalogue, ChEMBL, UniProt, IntAct, Reactome, Europe PMC, ClinicalTrials.gov via AACT, TTD, EMA, PMDA) and uses machine learning to help scientists identify and prioritise potential therapeutic drug targets. Supports target-disease associations, credible sets, expression data, clinical evidence and literature mining.
- BE-view R Shiny application for interacting with base editing mutagenesis screen data to understand the functional consequences of variants in the IFNg signalling pathway. Targeted at functional genomics researchers studying variant effects.
- SMaSH (Scalable Marker gene Signal Hunter) General, scalable codebase for calculating marker genes from single-cell RNA-sequencing data using supervised machine learning approaches for various cell annotations. For single-cell genomics researchers and computational biologists.
- CELLector Open source R tool and package that leverages tumour genomics data to explore, rank, and select optimal cell line models for retrospective analyses and future studies. For cancer biology researchers working on cell line model selection.
- Project Score Web portal allowing researchers to explore CRISPR-Cas9 whole-genome drop-out screen results across diverse human cancer cell models to identify dependencies for precision cancer medicine drug discovery.
- CRISPRcleanR Computational tool that identifies and corrects gene-independent responses to CRISPR-Cas9 targeting; available as R package, Python package and Docker container. For functional genomics researchers working with CRISPR screens.
- DoRothEA (Discriminant Regulon Expression Analysis) Web tool for searching candidate transcription factor-drug interactions in cancer, studying 127 transcription factors across 1,000+ cancer cell lines screened with 265 anti-cancer compounds. For cancer systems biology researchers.
- CHEERS (Chromatin Element Enrichment Ranking by Specificity) Computational pipeline determining enrichment of annotations in GWAS significant loci, accounting for peak properties reflected by quantitative changes in read counts. For statistical genetics researchers.
- Effectorness Project mapping cytokine-regulated gene expression programs in naïve CD4+ T cells using quantitative proteomics, bulk RNA-seq, and single-cell RNA-seq to understand effector phenotype acquisition. For immunology researchers.
- eQTL Catalogue Resource providing uniformly processed gene expression and splicing QTLs from public studies, focusing on cis-QTLs and splicing QTLs in human. For functional genomics and GWAS researchers.
- Perturbation Catalogue Open Targets project hosted at EMBL-EBI bringing genetic perturbation data into one curated, harmonised and discoverable platform for exploring perturbation effects on gene expression.
- Open Targets MCP (Model Context Protocol) Official MCP server that brings Open Targets Platform systematic target discovery capabilities to Large Language Model-based workflows, enabling AI-powered querying through Claude and other AI assistants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 89% of 13,289 unique drug targets in the Open Targets Platform remain clinically unexploited, representing major untapped therapeutic opportunities
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Open Targets
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Open Targets technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
AI capability7 records
Feature8 records
Open Targets partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered key and core.
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustkeyClinical partner collaborating on the IBDverse Crohn's disease study. Provided clinical samples and expertise alongside the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Dr Tim Raine (consultant gastroenterologist) served as senior author on the study published in Nature Genetics.
- AnthropickeyAI company partnership for the Open Targets Platform Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Developed as part of Anthropic's Claude for Healthcare and Life Sciences launch. Anthropic provides technical expertise and computing resources to build an MCP that makes Open Targets data accessible to Claude AI agents for target discovery workflows.
- EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)coreFounding academic partner providing bioinformatics infrastructure, data resources, computational expertise, and hosting the Perturbation Catalogue. Open Targets was founded in 2014 as a partnership between EMBL-EBI, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and GSK. EMBL-EBI provides access to world-leading genomic data resources and computational biology capabilities.
- Wellcome Sanger InstitutecoreFounding academic partner contributing genomics expertise, research facilities, and scientific leadership including Science Director Gosia Trynka and senior group leaders. Hosts researchers including Lewis Evans (Senior Staff Scientist) and Muzlifah Haniffa (Deputy Director, Head of Cellular Genomics Programme). Conducts major experimental projects including NeuroFlux, IBDverse, and Beacon trial analyses.
- GSKcoreFounding pharmaceutical industry partner. One of six pharma partners contributing industry expertise, drug discovery perspective, and funding to the pre-competitive consortium. GSK participates in project workshops, governance boards, and benefits from systematic target prioritisation data.
- GenentechcorePharmaceutical industry partner joining the consortium post-founding, bringing expertise in biologics and precision medicine. Contributes to collaborative projects and governance alongside other pharma partners.
- MSD (Merck & Co. outside US and Canada)corePharmaceutical industry partner contributing to the pre-competitive consortium. Participates in project idea submissions, workshops, and governance decisions alongside other pharma partners to shape research direction.
- PfizercorePharmaceutical industry partner contributing industry expertise and resources to the Open Targets consortium. Engages in collaborative project design and benefits from systematic target prioritisation frameworks.
- SanoficorePharmaceutical industry partner participating in the pre-competitive consortium. Contributes to project workshops and governance while leveraging Open Targets data for drug discovery programmes.
- King's College LondonkeyAcademic partner led by Professor Catherine Smith running the Beacon trial for eczema and atopic dermatitis. Open Targets project analyses patient molecular and cellular data from the trial to identify early molecular changes that could improve treatment precision.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Open Targets competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Broad Institute DepMap: The Broad Institute's Dependency Map (DepMap) project provides large-scale genetic dependency and CRISPR screen data across cancer cell lines, directly comparable to Open Targets' Project Score and Perturbation Catalogue, serving the same target identification use case for cancer drug discovery.
- Wellcome Sanger Institute: Founding academic partner and co-located institute running major Open Targets experimental projects (NeuroFlux, IBDverse, Beacon trial analyses). Conducts parallel large-scale functional genomics and CRISPR screens directly comparable to Open Targets' research outputs.
- EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI): Founding academic partner of Open Targets that hosts the Perturbation Catalogue and provides bioinformatics infrastructure and data resources (UniProt, ChEMBL, Europe PMC, eQTL Catalogue) that Open Targets integrates. Operates in the same data-platform-for-biology category.
Broad incumbents
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals: Commercial AI-driven drug discovery company combining high-throughput biology with proprietary ML to identify targets and advance programs. Comparable to Open Targets in its use of large-scale biological data and ML for target prioritisation, but operates a fully proprietary, commercial model.
- Exscientia: AI-driven pharmatech company combining precision medicine with automated drug design, including target identification from patient-derived data. Comparable to Open Targets in using large biomedical datasets and ML to support target prioritisation decisions.
- Isomorphic Labs: Alphabet/DeepMind's commercial drug discovery spinout using AI and structural biology to accelerate target identification and drug design. Comparable to Open Targets in applying frontier AI to pharmaceutical R&D, with substantially greater commercial capital and proprietary positioning.
- Insitro: AI-driven drug discovery company combining functional genomics, machine learning, and induced pluripotent stem cell models to identify and validate therapeutic targets. Overlaps with Open Targets in combining genetic evidence with ML-driven target prioritisation.
- BenevolentAI: UK-based AI drug discovery company that builds knowledge graphs integrating biomedical literature and omics data to prioritise targets. Directly comparable mission to Open Targets in applying integrated biomedical data and ML for systematic target identification.
Others
- UK Biobank: Large-scale biomedical data resource providing genetic, clinical, and phenotypic data on 500,000+ participants, used as a foundational input for target discovery research. Complementary to Open Targets rather than competitive, but serves the same scientific community.
- HuBMAP (Human BioMolecular Atlas Program): NIH-funded consortium building a spatial atlas of human cells using single-cell and spatial omics. Overlaps with Open Targets' single-cell work (IBDverse, Tabula Sapiens integration) and serves comparable biomedical mapping and target discovery use cases for the research community.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open Targets social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Targets financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Targets leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Open Targets funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Open Targets M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Open Targets
What does Open Targets do?
Open Targets operates the Open Targets Platform, a freely-available, comprehensive, open-source web platform that aggregates multiple public data sources (GWAS Catalog, eQTL Catalogue, ChEMBL, ClinicalTrials.gov via AACT, UniProt, IntAct, Reactome, Europe PMC and others) and uses machine learning to help scientists identify and prioritise potential therapeutic drug targets. Beyond the platform, the consortium develops and distributes a suite of specialised open-source informatics tools (BE-view, SMaSH, CELLector, Project Score, CRISPRcleanR, DoRothEA, CHEERS, Effectorness, eQTL Catalogue) and an MCP server exposing platform data to LLM workflows.
Is Open Targets a public or private company?
Open Targets is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Open Targets founded?
Open Targets was founded in 2014.
Where is Open Targets based?
Open Targets is headquartered in Hinxton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Open Targets make money?
One revenue line is on record: pre-competitive Consortium Funding.
Who are Open Targets's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Broad Institute DepMap, Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). Broad incumbents are Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Exscientia, Isomorphic Labs, Insitro and BenevolentAI. Others are UK Biobank and HuBMAP (Human BioMolecular Atlas Program).
Does Open Targets have an API?
Yes. Open Targets Platform provides a public GraphQL API that enables programmatic access to target-disease association data, credible sets, gene information, drug data, and evidence from multiple sources including GWAS Catalog, ChEMBL, and clinical trials. The API powers the web interface and allows developers to query and integrate platform data into their own applications. Developer documentation is at platform-docs.opentargets.org.
What industry is Open Targets in?
Open Targets's product category is Drug Discovery Informatics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIALAA, Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery), with a secondary code of HLAAAIAI, Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.