Press Release: Cytocast Launches Three AI-Powered Products to Predict and Mitigate Drug Side-Effect Risk as Early as in Discovery and Preclinical Development 

Budapest, Hungary - October 30, 2025

Cytocast announced the market entry of three leading-edge products today: Cytocast Screener™, Cytocast Optimizer™, and Cytocast Nominator™ - designed to bring earlier, more interpretable safety insights to drug discovery and preclinical decision-making.

Built on the Cytocast Digital Twin Platform™, the product suite integrates deep learning–based target prediction with in-silico simulations across digital replicas of various tissue types. The result is a rapid, biophysically grounded projection of potential adverse events, delivered as interactive reports that help R&D teams de-risk programs and confidently advance the best candidates.

A step-change in preclinical safety insight

• Cytocast Screener™ – Pre-synthesis triage (dry → wet)
  Ranks hundreds to thousands of compounds and flags potential side-effect liabilities, enabling teams to eliminate weaker candidates early; failing them faster, thus saving time and cost.
• Cytocast Optimizer™ – Early-late preclinical refinement
  Delivers actionable insights on prioritized candidates, including mechanisms that may underlie side effects predicted - optionally incorporating secondary pharmacology - to support confident down-selection.
• Cytocast Nominator™ – Lead and backup selection
  Provides in-depth, fully interactive reports quantifying adverse-event risk, with optional drug–drug interaction predictions and safety profile comparisons against competing therapies to de-risk lead nomination.

"Drug development still loses too many promising molecules to late-breaking safety issues. With our Screener, Optimizer, and Nominator, we give discovery and preclinical teams the ability to see those signals earlier, and understand the likely mechanisms behind them," said Attila Csikász-Nagy, PhD, Founder and CEO of Cytocast. "Our goal is to help our partners progress the right candidates faster, with greater confidence."

Biorealistic, interpretable predictions - fast

While traditional safety risk models rely only on compound features—often leading to limited interpretability—Cytocast provides a clear solution. Our approach integrates systems biology and biophysics, using biorealistic features based on protein complexes and signaling pathways to deliver high-performance models that are explainable. This is detailed in Cytocast's recent preprint (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.14.682276v1).

"At the core of our platform is the fusion of deep learning for target prediction with large-scale, tissue-specific simulations," said Dr. István Reguly, Founder and CTO of Cytocast. "By modeling drug–target and pathway interactions across 29 digital tissue types, we deliver biologically interpretable risk profiles – often in 1-2 weeks."

Key product attributes:

• Speed: Turnaround times are often in 1–2 weeks for in-silico triage and detailed safety profiles
• Depth: Mechanistic insights linked to tissue-level and pathway dynamics
• Interactivity: Fully interactive reports that support scenario exploration and collaborative decision-making
• Applicability: From early triage through lead optimization to nomination and backup selection

Target customers and availability

Cytocast's initial focus is on the needs of the top 50 global pharmaceutical companies, ~200 innovative biotech firms, and ~75 contract research organizations (CROs) across the U.S., Europe, and other geographies. Beyond pharma, the company sees long-term growth opportunities in Animal Health, Cosmetics, and Food Science applications.

Cytocast Advisory Board member, István Hodász, PharmD, Former CEO of Egis Pharmaceuticals, stated: "These new products position Cytocast as a potential game-changer in the pharmaceutical industry. By leveraging its strengths in AI-driven simulations and early-stage prediction capabilities, Cytocast has the opportunity to address critical pain points in drug development. The company's ability to potentially reduce time and costs associated with bringing new drugs to market aligns well with the industry's growing demand for more efficient processes in R&D."

The Cytocast Screener, Optimizer, and Nominator are available now to qualified partners through commercial engagements. To learn more, request a demo, discuss pilot collaborations, or visit www.cytocast.com.

About Cytocast

Cytocast is a TechBio company using AI and digital-twin–based tissue simulations to predict the side effects of chemical compounds and drug candidates earlier in their development. The Cytocast Digital Twin Platform™ combines deep learning–based target prediction, digital replicas of 29 human tissue types, and mechanistic simulation of compound interactions to deliver rapid, interpretable safety insights that help R&D teams focus resources on the most promising candidates. Founded in 2019 by scientists from Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary, Cytocast is backed by European venture and angel investors and collaborates with leading pharma and biotech partners.

Media and business inquiries: www.cytocast.com/contact, info@cytocast.com

Attila Csikász-Nagy (CEO): a.csikasz-nagy@cytocast.com

Paul Lebeau (Commercial Development Lead): p.lebeau@cytocast.com

Disclaimers

·       Research use only: Cytocast's in-silico predictions are intended to support R&D decision-making and do not constitute medical advice or regulatory claims.

·       Forward-looking statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected. All statements are based on information available as of the date of this release, and Cytocast assumes no obligation to update such statements.