Evogene Appoints Prof. John Irwin and Prof. Dan Major to its Scientific Advisory Board

Appointments Strengthen Scientific Leadership and Support the Acceleration of ChemPass AI for Drug and Ag-Chemical Discovery

REHOVOT, Israel, Feb. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), a leading computational chemistry company focused on the AI-driven discovery and design of novel small molecules for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, today announced the appointment of Prof. John J. Irwin of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Prof. Dan T. Major of Bar-Ilan University (BIU) to its scientific advisory board (SAB).

The joining of these internationally recognized scientists further reinforces Evogene’s scientific and technological leadership as the company advances ChemPass AI. This proprietary generative AI engine is purpose-built to support the discovery and optimization of small molecules for drug development and ag-chemical innovation. ChemPass AI is designed to generate highly potent, novel molecular candidates optimized simultaneously across multiple critical parameters, enabling faster discovery cycles and increased probability of success in downstream development.

These appointments align with Evogene’s Real-World Innovation approach, which integrates deep scientific understanding with pharmaceutical and ag-chemical R&D practical requirements. As members of the Scientific Advisory Board, Prof. Irwin and Prof. Major will provide strategic guidance on the continued evolution of ChemPass AI, helping ensure its accuracy, robustness, scalability, and applicability across real-world discovery programs.

New Members of Evogene’s Scientific Advisory Board

Prof. John J. Irwin is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a globally recognized leader in ligand discovery and virtual screening. He is the creator of foundational, open-access resources widely used across academia and industry, including ZINC, DOCK, SEA, and DUD-E. Prof. Irwin’s work has been cited over 35,000 times and has had a lasting impact on modern drug discovery through data-driven and collaborative science.

Prof. Dan T. Major is a Professor of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University and a leading expert in multiscale molecular modeling. His research integrates quantum mechanics, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology to accelerate drug discovery, ag-chemical development, and materials design. Prof. Major is a pioneer in hybrid QM/MM simulations and the developer of EnzyDock and RxnNet, with more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and multiple prestigious awards recognizing the translational impact of his work.

Prof. Irwin commented: “Evogene is addressing core challenges in small-molecule discovery through a rigorous and data-driven computational approach. I am pleased to join the Scientific Advisory Board and support the continued advancement of ChemPass AI, particularly in ligand discovery, virtual screening, and evidence-based decision-making.”

Prof. Major added: “ChemPass AI represents a sophisticated integration of generative AI and advanced molecular modeling. I look forward to contributing my experience in multiscale simulations to help guide the development of technologies that can deliver meaningful impact across pharmaceutical and agricultural discovery programs.”

Dr. Gabi Tarcic, Evogene’s Chief Development Officer, said: “The appointment of Prof. Irwin and Prof. Major marks an important milestone in the development of ChemPass AI. Their expertise will help us further enhance the quality, predictability, and real-world relevance of our discovery engine, as we continue to translate computational innovation into tangible value for the drug and ag-chemical industries.”

About Evogene Ltd.: 

Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq/TASE: EVGN) is a pioneering company in computational chemistry, specializing in the generative design of small molecules for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.

At the core of its technology is ChemPass AI, a proprietary generative AI engine that enables the design of novel, highly potent small molecules optimized across multiple critical parameters. This powerful platform significantly improves success rates while reducing development time and costs.

Built on this powerful technological foundation, and through strategic partnerships alongside internal product development, Evogene is focused on creating breakthrough products for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, driven by the integration of scientific innovation with real-world industry needs.

For more information, please visit www.evogene.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “could,” “expects,” “hopes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “scheduled,” “estimates,” “demonstrates” or words of similar meaning. For example, Evogene is using forward-looking statements in this press release when it discusses ChemPass AI’s potential success in generating highly potent, novel molecular candidates optimized simultaneously across multiple critical parameters, enabling faster discovery cycles and increased probability of success in downstream development, and the expected effect of Prof. Irwin and Prof. Major on enhancing the quality, predictability, and real-world relevance of Evogene’s discovery engine. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene, including, the aftermath of the recent war between Israel and each of (i) the terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, (ii) Iran, and (iii) other regional terrorist groups supported by Iran, and any destabilizations in Israel, neighboring territories or the Middle East region, as well as those additional risk factors identified those risk factors contained in Evogene’s reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evogene relies, and expects to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as its field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions.

Contact

ir@evogene.com
Tel: +972-8-9311901

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SOURCE Evogene