Compugen Ltd.
Israeli clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company using computational biology to discover and develop immuno-oncology therapies.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Compugen Ltd. is an Israeli clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing therapeutics for cancer and immune-related diseases. The company is headquartered in Petah Tikva and its shares trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the symbol CGEN. Its current identity is centered on immuno-oncology, particularly the discovery and development of novel immune-checkpoint targets and antibody-based medicines. Compugen was established in 1993 as a computational drug-discovery and bioinformatics services company. Its founders, Eli Mintz, Simchon Faigler, and Amir Natan, applied specialized computing methods to biological sequence analysis. The company’s early technology included the Bioccelerator, a processor designed to accelerate sequence-similarity searches, followed by LEADS, a platform for expressed-sequence-tag clustering and assembly. During its early years, Compugen provided software, data-analysis tools, and computational services to pharmaceutical companies, including arrangements reported with Novartis, Abbott Laboratories, and Pfizer. The company gradually expanded beyond software and services into diagnostics and therapeutics. Around 2001 it began developing a more integrated discovery model, using computational predictions to identify biological targets that could support commercial drug programs. Compugen also established an agriscience division in 1999 that later became Evogene, which was spun off in 2002. Compugen began trading on Nasdaq in 2000 and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2002. A major strategic transition occurred under Anat Cohen-Dayag, who became co-chief executive in 2009 and sole chief executive in 2010. Compugen moved toward becoming an integrated biopharmaceutical company with an internally generated pipeline, concentrating its research on oncology and immunology. Its computational biology platform was used to identify previously uncharacterized immune regulators, including targets in the B7/CD28 family and related immune pathways. The company’s best-known programs include COM701, an antibody directed at PVRIG; COM902, an antibody directed at TIGIT; and earlier or partnered programs involving ILDR2 and IL18-binding protein. COM701 entered clinical development as a potential treatment for advanced solid tumors, including studies as monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 blockade. Compugen has also pursued collaborations with Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca’s MedImmune unit, Gilead Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Mount Sinai Hospital. These relationships have combined Compugen’s target-discovery capabilities with partners’ clinical-development, manufacturing, and commercialization resources. Compugen remains a development-stage company rather than a diversified commercial pharmaceutical business. Its principal activities are target discovery, antibody engineering, translational research, clinical development, and licensing or partnering of selected programs. The company’s positioning is that of a technology-enabled immuno-oncology specialist seeking to create differentiated therapies from novel immune targets. Its clinical and commercial prospects depend on demonstrating safety and efficacy, advancing its pipeline through trials, securing partnerships, and obtaining regulatory approvals.
History
Compugen was founded in 1993 by Eli Mintz, Simchon Faigler, and Amir Natan. The idea originated with Mintz, who recognized that the volume of biological data generated by genome research was exceeding the practical processing capacity of contemporary computers. Working with colleagues associated with the Israel Defense Forces’ Talpiot program, the founders developed specialized computing technology for biological sequence analysis. Their early Bioccelerator product was designed to accelerate sequence-similarity searches and became an important foundation for the company’s initial commercial model. In 1997, Compugen introduced LEADS, a platform for clustering and assembling expressed-sequence tags. During the 1990s, the company primarily operated as a computational drug-discovery and bioinformatics service provider. It marketed software and analytical services to pharmaceutical companies and formed relationships with large industry participants, including Novartis, Abbott Laboratories, and Pfizer. The company’s early business was therefore based on enabling research performed by others rather than on selling its own medicines. Compugen’s corporate development broadened around the beginning of the 2000s. By approximately 2001, the company had expanded into diagnostics and therapeutics and was using its computational capabilities to identify biological mechanisms and possible drug targets. It listed on Nasdaq in 2000 and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2002. Its agriscience activities, which had been organized as a division in 1999, were separated into Evogene in 2002. The most significant strategic change came in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Mor Amitai served as president and chief executive from 1998 to 2005, followed by Alex Kotzer through 2008. Anat Cohen-Dayag became co-chief executive in 2009, serving with Martin Gerstel, and became the company’s sole chief executive in 2010. Under her leadership, Compugen shifted away from being primarily a software and computational-services company and toward an integrated biopharmaceutical model. The company selected oncology and immunology as its principal therapeutic focus. Compugen’s discovery platform generated a series of novel immune-regulatory targets. In 2013, it entered a collaboration and license agreement with Bayer covering antibody programs directed at Compugen-discovered immune checkpoints. One of the programs became associated with ILDR2 and was developed by Bayer as BAY 1905254. Bayer assumed responsibility for clinical development and potential commercialization after preclinical work. A second program was later discontinued following joint assessment, leaving the collaboration focused on ILDR2. The company also developed its own clinical-stage programs. In 2016, it selected COM701 as the lead candidate against PVRIG, an immune-checkpoint target in the B7/CD28-related family. COM701 was subsequently evaluated in patients with advanced solid tumors, both as monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 inhibition. In 2017, Compugen selected COM902 as its lead candidate against TIGIT, another immune checkpoint of interest in cancer immunotherapy. Research relationships supported this pipeline. Compugen began a multi-year collaboration with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2014 to study immune-checkpoint candidates and expanded that relationship in 2017 to include additional targets. In 2017, it also initiated a research collaboration with Mount Sinai Hospital focused on myeloid targets, innate immunity, and tumor biology. In 2018, the company licensed an immuno-oncology antibody platform to MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s biologics research unit, for development of bispecific and multispecific products. Another important relationship was formed with Bristol Myers Squibb in 2018. Bristol Myers Squibb supplied Opdivo for combination studies involving COM701 and received the possibility of initiating additional studies involving checkpoint combinations. The agreement also included an equity investment. Compugen later added COM503, an antibody program intended to inhibit interleukin-18 binding protein and increase local immune activation, to its partnered portfolio; the program was licensed to Gilead in 2023. Compugen’s present profile is that of a clinical-stage biotechnology company. It no longer primarily presents itself as a general-purpose computational-services vendor. Instead, its computational biology and target-discovery capabilities support an internally generated and partnered pipeline of antibody medicines, with particular emphasis on immune checkpoints, tumor-immune interactions, and immuno-oncology combinations. The company’s programs remain subject to clinical, regulatory, financing, and partnering risks typical of development-stage biotechnology businesses.
- 2023
COM503 licensed to Gilead
[2]Compugen licensed its IL18-binding-protein antibody program to Gilead Sciences.
- 2018
Bristol Myers Squibb clinical collaboration
[1]The companies established a clinical collaboration involving COM701 and Opdivo and announced an equity investment.
- 2017
COM902 selected
[1]Compugen selected COM902 as its lead TIGIT therapeutic candidate.
- 2016
COM701 selected
[1]Compugen selected COM701 as its lead PVRIG therapeutic candidate.
- 2013
Bayer collaboration begins
[1]Compugen and Bayer entered a collaboration covering antibody programs against Compugen-discovered immune regulators.
- 2010
Strategic focus shifts to immuno-oncology
[1]Under Anat Cohen-Dayag, Compugen became an integrated drug-development company focused on oncology and immunology.
- 2002
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange listing and Evogene spin-off
[1]Compugen began trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and spun off its agriscience subsidiary, Evogene.
- 2000
Nasdaq listing
[1]Compugen began trading on Nasdaq.
- 1997
LEADS platform introduced
[1]Compugen introduced LEADS, a platform for expressed-sequence-tag clustering and assembly.
- 1993
Compugen is established
[1]Eli Mintz, Simchon Faigler, and Amir Natan founded Compugen as a computational drug-discovery and bioinformatics company.
Products and positioning
A computational-biology-driven, clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on discovering novel immune targets and developing antibody therapeutics.
PVRIG immune-checkpoint antibody · 2016
COM701
COM701 is an antibody directed against PVRIG, a novel immune-checkpoint target in the B7/CD28-related family. Compugen selected it as its lead PVRIG candidate in 2016. The program entered a Phase 1 study in patients with advanced solid tumors, including evaluation as monotherapy and in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. The development strategy has included tumor types such as non-small-cell lung, ovarian, breast, and endometrial cancers, where the relevant ligand and target biology may support combination immunotherapy.
TIGIT immune-checkpoint antibody · 2017
COM902
COM902 is an antibody directed against TIGIT, an immune checkpoint involved in the regulation of antitumor immune responses. Compugen selected COM902 as its lead TIGIT candidate in 2017. The program was intended for clinical development in oncology and was part of the company’s broader strategy to evaluate combinations among multiple checkpoint pathways, including TIGIT, PVRIG, and PD-1.
ILDR2 antibody · 2018
BAY 1905254
BAY 1905254 is an antibody program directed against ILDR2, also known in Compugen’s earlier internal nomenclature as CGEN-15001T. The program originated from Compugen’s target-discovery work and was partnered to Bayer. After preclinical development, Bayer assumed responsibility for clinical development and potential global commercialization. Bayer began a Phase 1 study in 2018.
IL18-binding-protein antibody · 2023
COM503
COM503 is an antibody program designed to inhibit interleukin-18 binding protein. The intended mechanism is to increase the availability of IL-18 in the tumor microenvironment and stimulate immune activity. Compugen licensed the program to Gilead Sciences in 2023, making it a partnered asset rather than a solely company-controlled clinical program.
Computational biology platform
Bioccelerator
Bioccelerator was one of Compugen’s earliest products. It was a specialized processor designed to accelerate biological sequence-similarity searches. The product reflected the company’s original business model as a provider of computational tools and services for pharmaceutical and genomics research before its later transition into proprietary drug development.
Genomics software platform · 1997
LEADS
LEADS was a bioinformatics platform introduced by Compugen for clustering and assembling expressed-sequence tags. It supported the company’s early commercial role in computational genomics and illustrated how Compugen used software and data analysis to assist biological discovery before developing its own therapeutic pipeline.
Brand decisions
2023
License of COM503 to GileadM&ABackground
Compugen sought to advance its IL18-binding-protein antibody program through a larger partner with substantial development and commercialization capabilities.
Action taken
The company licensed COM503 to Gilead Sciences.
Aftermath
COM503 became part of Compugen’s partnered pipeline, although detailed subsequent development information is not established in the supplied material.
2018
Bristol Myers Squibb combination-study collaborationProduct launchBackground
Compugen was developing COM701 and wanted to evaluate its PVRIG mechanism alongside established PD-1 blockade.
Action taken
Bristol Myers Squibb agreed to supply Opdivo for combination studies and obtained the possibility of initiating additional checkpoint-combination trials.
Aftermath
The arrangement connected COM701’s clinical program with an established immuno-oncology medicine and included an equity investment by Bristol Myers Squibb.
Equity investment. (2018)
2013
Bayer antibody-development collaborationM&ABackground
Compugen had identified novel immune-checkpoint regulators but required a larger pharmaceutical partner for later-stage development and commercialization.
Action taken
It licensed antibody programs to Bayer, with Bayer taking responsibility for clinical development and potential commercialization after preclinical work.
Aftermath
The collaboration later focused on the ILDR2 program, which Bayer advanced as BAY 1905254.
Reported upfront and preclinical milestone payments. (2013-2018)
2010
Adoption of an integrated immuno-oncology strategyStrategyBackground
Under new leadership, Compugen sought to move beyond being a technology supplier and use its computational biology platform to create its own therapeutic pipeline.
Action taken
The company focused its proprietary discovery and development activities on oncology and immunology, especially novel immune-checkpoint targets.
Aftermath
The strategy produced programs including COM701 and COM902 and led to multiple research, licensing, and clinical collaborations.
2001
Expansion from computational services into therapeuticsStrategyBackground
Compugen’s original business concentrated on software and computational services for pharmaceutical research. The company began extending its activities into diagnostics and therapeutic discovery.
Action taken
It developed an operating model in which computational predictions could generate proprietary biological targets and internally controlled drug programs.
Aftermath
This transition laid the foundation for Compugen’s later identity as a biotechnology and drug-development company.
Recent events
- 2025
Eran Ophir becomes Compugen chief executive[2]
Leadership change
Eran Ophir succeeded Anat Cohen-Dayag as chief executive and president.
- 2023
Compugen licenses COM503 program to Gilead[2]
M&A
Compugen licensed its IL18-binding-protein antibody program, known as COM503, to Gilead Sciences.
- 2018
Compugen and Bristol Myers Squibb enter clinical collaboration[1]
M&A · Product launch
Bristol Myers Squibb agreed to supply Opdivo for combination studies involving COM701 and made an equity investment in Compugen.
- 2018
Bayer advances ILDR2 program into clinical development[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Bayer disclosed ILDR2 as the target of BAY 1905254 and began patient dosing in a Phase 1 study.
- 2017
Compugen selects COM902 as its lead TIGIT therapeutic candidate[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The company selected COM902 for development against the TIGIT immune checkpoint.
- 2016
Compugen selects COM701 as its lead PVRIG therapeutic candidate[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Compugen designated COM701 as the lead antibody candidate for its PVRIG immune-checkpoint program.
Sources4 sources
- 1Compugen Ltd. — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 2Compugen corporate websitecgen.com
- 3Compugen Announces Expansion of Research Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University for a Novel Myeloid Target Discovered by Compugenprnewswire.com
- 4Dotmatics announces licensing agreement for informatics software with Compugennews-medical.net
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